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On January 1, 2005, Baxter Healthcare Corporation initiated a comprehensive global recall of the Meridian Hemodialysis Machine because of a problem involving the tubing sets of the machine. Experts believe that this defect led to at least one death and one serious injury.
Hemodialysis machines are sophisticated pieces of medical equipment that remove impurities out of the blood of people who suffer from renal failure. These machines remove the blood from a patient, filter out waste materials that the kidneys would normally remove such as potassium, and return it to the patient’s body. These are highly precise machines with a small margin for error, and it is absolutely critical that they function properly because the smallest mistake can have dire results.
All Baxter Hemodialyisis Machine units of model numbers 5M5576 and 5M5576R are subject to this recall. Approximately 2,800 of these devices remain in use, 2,100 of which are in the United States, even though the last were manufactured in 2002. The issue with these machines involves the clips that hold the tubes that direct the blood. Because the tubes are located on the front of the device, these tubes can bend or knot if improperly routed, damaging blood cells and causing serious injury.
After Baxter alerted patients and doctors about the risk of serious injury or death, the Food and Drug Administration advised that their results confirmed that the defect in the design of the machine could in fact cause serious blood cells, which could result potentially life-threatening kidney damage and anemia in patients with compromised vascular systems.
If the Baxter Hemodialysis Machine injured you or someone you love, you could have the right to seek restitution for your injury and loss. Do not hesitate, for statutes of limitation laws constrain how long you have to press your legal rights. If you wait you risk losing the financial compensation you may deserve. Contact a lawyer today.
