Trasylol Likely Cause of Death

May 22, 2007, 8:45PM. By Jane Mundy

Seattle, WA"My mother had bypass surgery in November of 2005 and passed away from kidney failure in the hospital," says Dawn B. "She only had one kidney to begin with and I am sure she would be alive today if she wasn't given Trasylol.

"When I stumbled across an article about this drug, I went to the hospital and requested her operative records to see if she had been administered Trasylol and indeed she had. I couldn't believe they would give a patient with one kidney this drug. After reading all of the alerts about Trasylol, I don't understand why she wasn't given an alternative drug."

There are no words to explain the damages Dawn's family has suffered because of this dangerous drug.

Yet another Victim
Portland, OR:"My husband had triple bypass surgery in April 2004 and he spent the next seven days in ICU before being transferred to a regular ward where he spent another three weeks," says Janet B. "There were complications from the surgery and he lost a leg and a few toes on his other leg. Nobody at that time said anything about kidney failure.

"In October of 2005, scar tissue created a blockage in his intestine. While at the hospital having the affected intestinal piece removed, the doctors mentioned there may be complications due to his bad kidney. Both of us looked at the doctor and said, 'What kidney problem?' They told us that one of his kidneys wasn't working any more--we were in shock."

And One More...
"My uncle was admitted to hospital to have heart bypass surgery in November of 2006. He had the surgery on Monday; on Tuesday he was recovering in ICU and by Wednesday he was up and walking around. Then, shortly after his walk on Thursday morning he had a problem: they rushed him into surgery and he suffered kidney failure; he died at 2:20 pm that day. I asked the doctor if he was given Trasylol and they are 'looking into it'".

Trasylol is administered during open heart surgery. It works to slow or prevent bleeding, and is used to reduce blood loss and the need for blood transfusion during some types of heart surgeries. More often than not, the patient doesn't know which drug he or she is given nor is it even discussed before surgery. For countless patients who were given Trasylol during open heart surgery, it has meant renal failure and other severe, often fatal, side affects. And here is the kicker: In the majority of cases, a patient can be given other drugs (generic medications aminocaproic acid and tranexamic acid ) that have the same effect as Trasylol without causing renal failure.

"Many people have experienced kidney failure and it is not normally something you anticipate simply because of open-heart surgery," says Trasylol lawyer George Otstott. "Before surgery, a patient's blood levels and renal capability must be considered and if there is a hint of a problem, they should not be given Trasylol."