83-Year-Old Man’s Death Due to Brain Hemorrhage May Be Pradaxa-Related

By Jacksonville Personal Injury Attorney on April 30, 2012

Was Pradaxa behind the recent death of an 83-year-old Utah man who fell at home? A case study published in the May Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS) suggests that Pradaxa use may have led to irreversible bleeding in his brain, resulting in his death.

According to JNS, after falling at home, the man was admitted to the University of Utah hospital where physicians on staff discovered that he had been diagnosed with new-onset atrial fibrillation the month before and had been prescribed a 150 mg dose of Pradaxa twice a day by his primary doctor. There was slight intracranial bleeding, but the patient was alert and there was no immediate cause for concern at the time.

Some six hours after being admitted to the hospital with relatively minor brain trauma, the patient was dead. Apparently, the bleeding in his brain couldn’t be stopped, even after emergency measures were taken. Currently, there is no known reversal agent for Pradaxa.

The JNS article stated that the approval of dabigatran presents a dilemma for neurosurgeons. Since the drug is often given to elderly patients who are usually more likely to have imbalance issues and to suffer from falls, “intracranial hemorrhage resulting even from minor trauma may occur with increasing frequency as use of this drug becomes more widespread.”

Pradaxa: Know the Facts
In December of 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated a safety review of Pradaxa after receiving so many reports of adverse effects associated with the medicine. High incidents of internal hemorrhaging and cardiovascular problems, especially among the elderly, have been the primary complaints reported. It has been reported that Pradaxa might be responsible for up to 260 patient deaths since its introduction a year-and-a-half ago. Free legal Shield Attorneys for pradaxa can help you iof you have been injured or a loved dired due to pradax