Maryland Braces for Contaminated Heparin

Article posted on: 04/22/2008

According to the FDA, as many as 81 deaths in the United States and Germany have been linked to a man-made chemical ingredient of heparin called oversulfated condroitin sulfate (OSCS). Hundreds more may have been victims of adverse reactions to the tainted drug. In Maryland, health officials are monitoring the situation. The Maryland medical malpractice lawyers at Silverman Thompson will be evaluating contaminated heparin injuries for possible law suites arising from the negligence. Symptoms for those affected include difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, falling blood pressure, excessive sweating and life-threatening shock. Those who are using heparin and suffer these types of symptoms may be entitled to reimbursement for their medical expenses and additional damages from the drug companies.

Heparin is used in dialysis and is also used to prevent clotting in catheters, which 25 percent of dialysis patients have to use for treatment. The drug is also commonly used in heart bypass surgery. As an anticoagulant, Heparin can be used to reduced the risk of blood clots before surgery.

Other risks associated with Heparin use are bleeding episodes that are difficult to control. Additionally, even if after a patient is taken off of Heparin they typically can still have bleeding episodes for weeks thereafter. Other common, but serious side effects, that can occur with Heparin use include, but are not limited to: sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body, sudden severe headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech or balance, chest pain, sudden cough, wheezing, rapid breathing, fast heart rate, pain swelling, warmth or redness in legs, trouble breathing or fever, chills, runny nose or watery eyes. Patients should also be sure to tell their doctors if they have high blood pressure, heart infections or bleeding disorders because Heparin can impact these conditions adversely.

If you or a loved one believe that you have suffered an injury as a result of being placed on Heparin or another similar drug / medication, call the lawyers at Silverman Thompson for a free consultation or visit our website for a free consultation. Our attorneys regularly handle these types of cases on a contingency basis, meaning that our firm lays out the expenses in advance and our clients are only required to reimburse us if the case is successful via a settlement or at trial or on appeal. Our office routinely handles cases and matters in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas against physicians and hospitals including Johns Hopkins Hospital, University of Maryland Medical System, St. Joseph's Hospital, Union Memorial Hospital, Bon Secours Hospital, St. Agnes Hospital, Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital, Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, Anne Arundel County Medical Center, Howard County General Hospital, Frederick Memorial Hospital, Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, and Washington Adventist Hospital. In fact, our lawyers routinely obtain some of the highest verdicts in the state of Maryland in such cases and routinely obtain multi-million dollar verdicts in medical malpractice / medical negligence / medical error cases.