Did you have a colonoscopy? Did you suffer from kidney problems?
You may have suffered from phosphate induced acute kidney failure
Potts Sadaka LLC is litigating on the behalf of victims of kidney failure after colonoscopy. Laxatives used in preparation for a colonoscopy have been linked to a condition called acute phosphate nephropathy, a type of medication kidney failure, since its introduction in 2000. If you or someone you love suffered from kidney failure after using the Visicol or OsmoPrep laxative, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact one of our Visicol and OsmoPrep injury lawyers as soon as possible to protect your legal rights.
What is Visicol and OsmoPrep?
Both the Visicol and OsmoPrep laxatives are a prescription only medication used to clean out the intestines before a colonoscopy. The medication contains sodium phosphate (the phosphate in acute phosphate nephropathy), which acts as a laxative by drawing large amounts of water into the colon. The result of water in the colon is watery bowel movements. This cleans out the intestines so that your doctor can clearly view them during your colonoscopy.
Black Box Warning for Colonoscopy Kidney Failure
FDA became aware of reports of acute phosphate nephropathy, a type of medication kidney failure, associated with the use of oral sodium phosphate products (OSP) for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy or other procedures. These products include the medications, Visicol and OsmoPrep, and OSPs available over-the-counter without a prescription as laxatives (e.g., Fleet Phospho-soda). In some cases when used for bowel cleansing, these serious adverse events have occurred in patients without identifiable factors that would put them at risk for developing medication kidney failure.
The FDA was aware of colonoscopy related kidney failure as early as 2006. But it wasn’t until recently that the FDA required a black box warning about colonoscopy related kidney failure on the two OSPs available by prescription only.
As a result, FDA required the manufacturer of Visicol and OsmoPrep, the two OSPs available by prescription only, to add a Boxed Warning about colonoscopy related kidney failure.
Contact a Visicol OsmoPrep Kidney Failure Lawyer Now!
If you or someone you love suffered from kidney failure as a result of Visicol or OsmoPrep, you have valuable legal rights. Please fill out our online form or call 1 800 99 POTTS (1-800-997-6887) as soon as possible to discuss your case with one of our Visicol and OsmoPrep injury lawyers.
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When Your Kidneys Fail
Healthy kidneys clean the blood by removing excess fluid, minerals, and wastes. They also make hormones that keep your body healthy. When a person’s kidneys fail, harmful wastes build up in the body, blood pressure may rise, and the body may retain excess fluid and not make enough red blood cells.
How Dialysis Works
In dialysis, blood is allowed to flow, a few ounces at a time, through a special filter that removes wastes and extra fluids. The clean blood is then returned to the patients body. Removing the harmful wastes and extra salt and fluids helps control blood pressure and keep the proper balance of chemicals like potassium and sodium in the body.
Dialysis Patients must undergo treatment 3 times a week for 3 to 5 hours at a time.
Conditions Related to Kidney Failure
Kidneys not only clean the blood but they also make hormones and balance chemicals. When the kidneys stop working, patients may have problems with anemia and conditions that affect your bones, nerves, and skin. Some of the more common conditions caused by kidney failure are extreme tiredness, bone problems, joint problems, itching, and “restless legs.â€Â
Anemia and Erythropoietin (EPO)
Anemia is a condition in which the volume of red blood cells is low. Red blood cells carry oxygen to cells throughout the body. Without oxygen, cells can’t use the energy from food, so someone with anemia may tire easily and look pale. Anemia can also contribute to heart problems.
Renal Osteodystrophy
Renal osteodystrophy, or bone disease of kidney failure, affects 90 percent of dialysis patients. It causes bones to become thin and weak or formed incorrectly and affects both children and adults. Symptoms can be seen in growing children with kidney disease even before they start dialysis. Older patients and women who have gone through menopause are at greater risk for this disease.
Itching (Pruritus)
Many people treated with hemodialysis complain of itchy skin, which is often worse during or just after treatment. Itching is common even in people who don’t have kidney disease; in kidney failure, however, itching can be made worse by wastes in the bloodstream that current dialyzer membranes can’t remove from the blood.
Sleep Disorders
Patients on dialysis often have insomnia, and some people have a specific problem called the sleep apnea syndrome, which is often signaled by snoring and breaks in snoring.
Many people on dialysis have trouble sleeping at night because of aching, uncomfortable, jittery, or “restless†legs. You may feel a strong impulse to kick or thrash your legs. Kicking may occur during sleep and disturb a bed partner throughout the night. The causes of restless legs may include nerve damage or chemical imbalances.
Amyloidosis
Dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) is common in people who have been on dialysis for more than 5 years. DRA develops when proteins in the blood deposit on joints and tendons, causing pain, stiffness, and fluid in the joints, as is the case with arthritis.
