Trasylol Stroke Side Effects And Bypass Heart Surgery
Following reports linking Bayer’s bypass surgery drug to an increased risk of Trasylol Stroke, heart attack and kidney failure the manufacturer suspended marketing the drug in late 2007. However Trasylol continued to be used until as late as May 2008 when Bayer then started removing the remaining stock from the marketplace in the United States. Trasylol is also referred to by its generic name “Aprotinin”. The FDA announced what was essentially a Trasylol recall on November 5, 2007.
Studies have shown that patients given Trasylol have an 181 percent greater risk of suffering a stroke compared to patients who were given either of the generic medications Cyklokapron (tranexamic acid) or Amicar (aminocaproic acid). Trasylol was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1993 to help prevent excessive bleeding in patients undergoing bypass heart surgery. Worldwide the drug has been given to over one million patients. In one of the largest observational Trasylol studies headed by Dr. Dennis Mangano, researchers found a much greater incidence of serious side effects such as kidney failure, stroke and heart attack in patients who received Trasylol during their surgery.
In another study conducted in Canada referred to as “BART”, Trasylol was compared to the alternative generic heart surgery drugs and it was found that 1 in 50 patients who received Trasylol died from complications linked to the drug. Given the increased risks and high cost of Trasylol compared to the generic alternatives doctors began questioning whether it should be administered to patients before it was pulled from the market.
A Trasylol attorney at Fields Law Firm is available to answer any questions you may have regarding how to find out if the drug was used during heart surgery. We will also request copies of your medical records or family member’s records at no cost to you in order to help find out if Trasylol was used. We are currently filing lawsuits for individuals and families affected by Trasylol in all 50 states.
Following the Trasylol study Blood conservation using antifibrinolytics: A randomized trial in a cardiac surgery population (BART) published in the May 14, 2008online issue of The New England Journal of Medicine study, Bayer decided to remove the remaining supplies of Trasylol from hospitals. This is the latest in a growing number of studies showing the dangers of Trasylol. In November 2007, Bayer agreed to suspend marketing their heart surgery drug Trasylol (aprotinin) after preliminary results from a Canadian study that revealed an increased risk of death for patients given Trasylol during bypass surgery. 