/rueziffra.com/Allan Ziffra-Pharmaceutical Liability Attorney/ 06/04/2009
Colonoscopies, the very effective screening procedure used to diagnose cancer of the colon and rectum, have resulted in a significantly reduced number of deaths caused by these horrific diseases. Colorectal cancer is an exceptionally excruciating form of cancer that is to blame for nearly 50,000 American deaths last year. This makes colorectal cancer the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The colonoscopy is recommended to every man and woman over the age of fifty because of its unique ability to allow doctors to catch colorectal cancer in its infancy when treatment is most effective. As many people know, a colonoscopy patient must undergo a thorough bowel cleansing process immediately prior to being admitted for a colonoscopy. This is necessary in order to ensure that the physician performing the procedure will have a clear and unobstructed view of the entire colon and bowel.
Sadly, this bowel preparation process has been known to cause kidney failure and other health problems for innocent patients. At the source of these extremely serious complications is an over-the-counter and prescription bowel preparation product, oral sodium phosphate (OSP), sold in Visicol, OsmoPrep, and Fleet Phospho-Soda products. Approximately five million individuals ingest one of these products annually! In late 2005, reports began to emerge that Phospho-Soda may cause acute phosphate nephropathy, a unique and serious kidney condition. This injury is the aftermath of excessive calcium-phosphate crystals being deposited in the renal tubules. These deposits, in turn, have the potential to cause permanent kidney dysfunction.
Although the Food and Drug Administration first reported the link between the ingestion of products containing OSP’s and kidney disease in 2006, the FDA did not issue a safety alert until December of 2008. Among those most at risk of experiencing kidney failure as a result of ingesting bowel preparation products include those with renal insufficiency, congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and colitis, and digestive tract obstruction. Consumers should also be aware that though these products may no longer be used for bowel cleansing, these products may continue to be marketed as laxatives.
Contact the Central Florida medical malpractice and pharmaceutical injury lawyers with Rue & Ziffra at 1-800-526-4711 or visit our website at www.RueZiffra.com if you or a family member has been harmed by a bowel cleansing system or product.
