Baxter Meridian Hemodialysis
The kidneys' function in the body is to remove excess fluid, minerals, and wastes, keeping your body clean. They also make hormones that help keep bones and blood healthy. When people's kidneys fail, harmful wastes that ordinarily would be flushed out build up instead. This may cause blood pressure to rise, the body to not produce enough red blood cells, and the retention of excess fluid.
Hemodialysis is the most standard procedure used to treat advanced and permanent kidney failure; in this procedure certain elements are removed from a person's blood and body. These elements are the waste materials may include urea, potassium and even excess water. This procedure is complicated and requires the coordination of a number of professionals, including a nephrologist, dialysis nurses, dialysis technicians, dietitians, and social workers. Hemodialysis is typically administered three to five times a week by professionals under the supervision of a doctor and nurses and is usually done in a specialized clinic or a room in a hospital.
How Hemodialysis Works
The blood of a patient is pumped through of a dialyzer's blood compartment and exposes this blood to a semipermeable membrane. A dialysis solution is then coursed through the dialysate compartment of this machine. The blood and the dialysis solutions placed in the dialyzer flows on different sides of this membrane. The clean blood is now returned to the patient's body after it is cleaned.
Possible side effects of hemodialysis include headaches, nausea, vomiting, cramps, anemia, itching, trouble sleeping, or a sudden drop in blood pressure. Adjustments to treatment can typically relieve the symptoms of hemodialysis.
Baxter Meridian Hemodialysis
Hemodialysis, in itself, is a procedure that carries certain risks and side effects. Occasionally, issues with treatment equipment add to the potential for risks or side effects associated with hemodialysis. In 2005, the Baxter Healthcare Corporation issued a recall of their Meridian Hemodialysis Instrument because of reported complications from it. Hemolysis, which is the destruction of red blood cells, was reported. Hemolysis can cause kidney damage, anemia, and other serious health complications. The hemolysis was connected to a kinking in the blood tubing sets that were used with the Baxter Meridian Hemodialysis machine. At the time the recall was issued, the problem with the machine had contributed to one serious injury and one death.
There were over 2,800 Baxter Meridian hemodialysis instruments in use at the time the recall was made public; approximately 2,100 of those machines were in the United States. Baxter did not recommend returning the product to the company. Rather, they instructed users to adjust the way they used they set up the tubing for hemodialysis, by routing blood tubing through one channel of the two channel clips and to clamp the tubing in only one place to avoid causing hemolysis. In addition, they recommended close visual monitoring during treatment to ensure that tubing was not kinked.
If You Were Injured as a Result of the Baxter Meridian Hemodialysis Instrument
In the event that you or a loved one suffered a serious injury as the result of a kinked tube in Baxter Meridian Hemodialysis Instrument, or if someone you know died as a result of the problem, it is recommended that you seek legal advice. An attorney specializing in defective medical devices or personal injury will help you navigate the legal process and determine if you have a viable case. An attorney will review your medical records and take statements from you regarding your treatment to assess your claim. If he or she believes you can make a case of personal injury in conjunction with treatment from the Meridian Hemodialysis machine, they will help you seek compensation.
