On the ground with the Heparin Recall..

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On the ground with the Heparin Recall..

Submitted by pmenendez on Thu, 03/06/2008 - 8:28pm.

I was hit by a truck a few weeks ago while crossing a crosswalk.. The driver was drunk, and I was lucky and lived..I suffered alot of damage to both of my legs, including a fractured tibia and fibula on my left leg. These fractures, road wounds, and subsequent repairs (involving a titanium rod and a bunch of screws) left my left leg a big red sausage..I came to find out, with injuries like this, dangerous blood clots become an issue. They put me on Baxter Heparin injections in the hospital. Heparin is a blood thinner used to deal with blood clots. When I arrived home last week, I began to read stories about Heparin being recalled.

Word is that 19 people are dead because of contaminated Heparin turning up in the United States (as of today in Germany too)

Here is an article talking about the recall and causes..

Im posting this because the FDA is not letting the patients themselves know that they are taking a potentially contaminated product. I had to personally let my doctor and pharmacy know that this recall was even taking place. They were never formally notified by the FDA or the State of Washington. If you know any patients taking this popular drug, please let them know that all Baxter Heparin is being recalled because it is contaminated..

Thank You..

pmenendez's blog
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Whoa!

Submitted by Norm on Thu, 03/06/2008 - 8:40pm.

Thanks for sharing, I hadn't heard of that either! What did your doctor say? I'm glad you went to him/her rather than just stopping the drug (can be dangerous within itself). I'm glad to hear you are pulling through and wish you the best in recovery.

hey norm..

Submitted by pmenendez on Thu, 03/06/2008 - 8:52pm.

thanks for the support. I hope all is well with you..

My doctor had no clue this recall was happening. Neither did my pharmacy or their distributer. Neither do any of the nurses showing up to my house every other day..

It seems like alot of people in the health care industry dont know about this Heparin recall, which is very scary considering how popular this drug is..

I know some elderly people end up on blood thinners for various reasons, so it may be a good thing to check in on our elders, and make sure they are not unwittingly taking a product that can hurt them..

Since we know the FDA cant be bothered..

Washington Post:: "Fixing the FDA" 3-7-08

Submitted by pmenendez on Thu, 03/06/2008 - 10:26pm.

Washington Post: Fixing the FDA 3-7-08

Lack of funding inhibits crucial drug inspections abroad.

"AT LEAST 19 people died and hundreds became ill after being given heparin, a blood-thinning drug sold by Baxter International. A belated inspection of the Chinese plant where heparin's active ingredient was processed found "objectional conditions," and recent lab tests revealed an unknown contaminant in batches of the drug..."

"Currently, 80 percent of all active drug ingredients come from abroad, but the FDA doesn't know what percentage of foreign manufacturing facilities it has inspected. Many of these plants are in developing countries that don't have infrastructure that meets U.S. safety standards.."

"..a recent Government Accountability Office report estimated that the FDA can inspect foreign firms on average once every 13 years. And in the rare cases where the FDA does visit foreign plants, officials give advance warning and rely on translators supplied by the companies being inspected, compromising the integrity of the inspections.."

Creepy, way creepy!

Submitted by security_six on Thu, 03/06/2008 - 11:51pm.

I trust you are doing well?

"si vis pacem, para bellum"

Im getting there..

Submitted by pmenendez on Fri, 03/07/2008 - 1:07pm.

Hows it going six.. Im just laying around since I cant use my legs for another month at all.. Other than that, im OK.. I will probably end up addicted to oxycodone, just like Brett Favre.. cheers..

Oh Man

Submitted by JstPlnOnry on Fri, 03/07/2008 - 4:45pm.

My daughter has her portacath flushed monthly with heprin... I'm going to have to talk to her nurse that comes & does it!

Thanks for the info! So glad you're on your way to recovery!

"A point of view is only a view from a point..." ~ Unknown

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