BAXTER DIALYSIS BLOOD FILTER
General Information
Baxter International, Inc., announced the recall of a
kidney dialysis filter, known as the Baxter dialyzer October 18, 2001.
The dialyzer is used as a blood filter. The Baxter dialysis blood
filter recall followed an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). This investigation revealed that more than 50 people worldwide
had died and that the deaths had reportedly been linked to the recalled
dialyzers. There are dozens of other reported deaths that may also
be related to the product.
Patients that are on dialysis need the assistance of a
dialysis machine to pump the blood outside of the body for cleansing.
These machines absorb the patient’s blood, cleanse it, and return the
purified blood back to the body.
The dialyzer is the critical cleansing module of a dialysis
machine. It acts as a membrane device which allows for the cleansing
of blood. For more specific information about kidney treatment,
visit the Web Site of The
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
The recalled Baxter dialyzers were series A, AF and AX.
Baxter stopped distributing them in September 2001 and the recall was
made on October 18, 2001.
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