Trasylol (aprotinin injection) is a drug used to prevent blood loss during surgery, and recently has been linked to a high risk of serious side effects, including kidney problems, heart attacks, strokes, and deaths in patients who undergo artery bypass graft surgery.
If you or a loved one has had cardiac surgery such as cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, you may have been administered Trasylol. If you or a loved one has suffered kidney failure, heart problems, strokes, encephalopathy, or other complications after cardiopulmonary bypass or coronary artery bypass graft surgery, Barry & Loewy LLP may be able to help you receive compensation if you are the victim of the side effects of Trasylol.
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Trasylol, manufactured by Bayer AG, is the only product approved by FDA for the prevention of peri-operative blood loss and the need for blood transfusion among patients undergoing CABG. The drug aids the body's ability to stop bleeding and is used to lessen the bleeding risk during this surgical procedure. This surgery is done to bypass clogged arteries. Since its approval in 1993, Trasylol has been used on more than 1 million patients worldwide.
On January 26, 2006, The New England Journal of Medicine published an article reporting an association of Trasylol with kidney problems, heart attacks, strokes, and deaths in patients undergoing CABG. Another publication, Transfusion, suggests an association between Aprotinin administration and kidney problems among patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced a Public Health Warning and further research into the drug's benefits and risks.
A study by Ischemia Research and Education Foundation examined 4,374 heart surgery patients worldwide and found that those on Trasylol had twice the risk of developing kidney failure, were 55 percent more likely to experience heart failure, and 181 percent more likely to experience stroke or encephalopathy. Many consumers and health officials blame the drug for patient deaths and patients' needing kidney dialysis.
Many patients do not know if Trasylol was used during their heart surgery. However, patients who have undergone bypass surgery, and have afterward experienced kidney problems, additional heart problems, or suffered a stroke, should seek medical consultation to determine if Trasylol is to blame. Consumers whose family member died while undergoing heart surgery should also ask questions about the use of Trasylol on their loved one.
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