Trasylol Lawsuits Filed | Renal Failure Wrongful Death

Bayer is potentially facing thousands of Trasylol lawsuits brought on behalf of individuals and families of heart surgery patients throughout the United States. Trasylol also referred to as “Aprotinin” is a bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI). Trasylol is used during heart surgery to help prevent excessive bleeding.

In November 2007, the Food and Drug Administration requested that Bayer stop marketing Trasylol until further review of a Canadian study that revealed the heart surgery drug increased the risk of death. From the FDA website:

The FDA requested the suspension in the interest of patient safety based on the serious nature of the outcomes suggested in the preliminary data. FDA has not yet received full study data but expects to act quickly with Bayer, the study’s researchers at the Ottawa Health Research Institute, and other regulatory agencies to undertake a thorough analysis of data to better understand the risks and benefits of Trasylol.

An important study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in January 2006 linked Trasylol with kidney damage compared to less expensive generic medications aminocaproic acid and tranexamic acid. It is estimated that if Trasylol had been taken off the market in early 2006 following the study, 22,000 patient lives could have been saved.

For more information regarding a Trasylol lawsuit please call Fields Law Firm or e-mail us for a free confidential consultation. We are presently representing patients and families throughout the United States.

Trasylol Causes Death In Patients Reveals Study

The New England Journal of Medicine has recently published a study which details that patients receiving Trasylol (aprotinin) have an increased change of death. Trasylol has been on the market from company Bayer since roughly 1993 and is used to reduce bleeding during complicated heart surgeries. The fatal side effects were revealed in 2006 which shown that Trasylol attributed to heart attacks, kidney failure, heart complications, and even death.

If you or someone you know has been affected by Trasylol, please contact an experience lawyer today.

Trasylol Kidney Failure Study : Twofold Higher Risk for Heart Surgery Patients

The American Journal of Nephrology published a study on February 8, 2008 regarding Trasylol and kidney failure. Prior to being withdrawn from the marketplace Aprotinin was marketed as “Trasylol” by the drug company Bayer. This is the first Trasylol study to evaluate the effect of the drug on urinary NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin). Urinary NGAL increases significantly after kidney damage.

In this observational study involving 369 patients undergoing heart surgery, they were either given aprotinin or aminocraproic acid during surgery. 205 patients received aprotinin and 164 received aminocaproic acid. The study revealed that the patients who were given the medication aprotinin (Trasylol) during their surgery had a twofold higher risk of developing kidney failure compared to the patient group receiving aminocaproic acid. 25% of the patients receiving aprotinin (51 of the 205 patients) developed kidney failure. The outcome of this study confirm the results of Dr. Mangano’s earlier Trasylol study which revealed that patients who received the aprotinin had around a 50 percent increased risk of dying.

Study: Increased Incidence of Acute Kidney Injury with Aprotinin Use during Cardiac Surgery Detected with Urinary NGAL
Am J Nephrol 2008;28:576-582

Trasylol Heart Surgery Medication Costly and Dangerous

Trasylol, an expensive medication given to coronary artery bypass patients during surgery to stop excessive bleeding may cause heart failure, kidney failure and stoke.  Patients undergoing bypass surgery were unaware that Trasylol, a medication manufactured by Bayer, has been found in clinical studies to lead to greater risk of death, stroke, and acute kidney failure. 

If a patient is found by their doctor to be at risk of excessive bleeding during surgery they should know Trasylol has been found to be not only dangerous but extremely expensive compared to generic alternatives. 

Trasylol Heart Surgery Alternative Drugs Available

A New England Journal of Medicine study reported that two other generic medications were available that are safer and less expensive than Trasylol.

Heart surgery medications that help prevent excessive bleeding during surgery:

• Trasylol cost per dose is $1,300
• The generic aminocaproic acid cost per dose is $11
• The generic tranexamic acid cost per dose is $44

The generic drugs were shown to be far less costly with no increased risk of heart attack, stroke or kidney failure.

For the latest information please visit our Trasylol News Website.

Trasylol Kidney Failure Side Effects

Bayer’s Trasylol problems continuing to grow following new studies showing the drug’s side effects. Trasylol has recently been linked to a higher risk of kidney failure, heart attacks, and death in the five years following a patient undergoing bypass heart surgery. Trasylol (Aprotinin) was approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 1993.  Aprotinin is manufactured by Bayer under the brand name Trasylol. Over the past several years Trasylol sales had continued to increase until it was pulled from the market late in 2007. Prior to being removed from the market the drug had been in use for 13 years and over a million heart surgery patients had received it.

Most heart surgery patients don’t know if they were given Trasylol during their open heart surgery. Many patients suffering from Trasylol kidney failure side effects don’t know if they were given Trasylol during their surgery because the surgeon made the decision whether to administer the drug to help reduce excessive bleeding during surgery.

Trasylol affects the way in which blood clots. It is given to open bypass surgery patients to prevent excessive bleeding. Trasylol is mainly used during repeat coronary artery bypass surgery to reduce the amount of bleeding both during and after surgery. One of the most serious complications for bypass surgery patients is excessive bleeding. Clotting medications such as Trasylol reduce the amount of blood transfusion needed during surgery. In 2006 The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published a study that reported Trasylol problems with an increased risk of developing heart failure, kidney damage, myocardial infarction, and stroke in bypass heart surgery patients.