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The Lowe Law Firm has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a man in whom the rare disorder nephrogenic systemic fibrosis developed after he was injected with gadolinium-based contrast agents at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo.

The suit, Silver v. St. Luke’s Hospital and John Does, cause no. 09SL-CC04756, was filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court on Nov. 3.

The plaintiff, who suffers from renal disease, began dialysis in 2004. On Jan. 18, 2005, in preparation for magnetic resonance imaging at St. Luke’s Hospital, the patient was administered a contrast dye. On Aug. 25, 2006, MRI “with and without contrast” was performed on the plaintiff at St. Luke’s.

The plaintiff was administered a contrast agent and underwent magnetic resonance angiography on Oct. 10, 2007, at St. Luke’s. On Nov. 6, 2007, MRA, again requiring the use of a contrast agent, was performed on the plaintiff at the hospital.

In the wake of these imaging studies, hard plaques on the plaintiff’s skin and other skin lesions developed, as did fibrosis and contractures of the hands, feet, arms and legs. In early 2007, the plaintiff was given a diagnosis of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (also known as nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy), which is incurable, debilitating and usually fatal.

Gadolinium is highly toxic, and patients with renal insufficiency often have difficulty clearing gadolinium-based dyes from their systems. NSF, identified in 1997, has been linked to the injection of gadolinium-based dyes in patients with renal insufficiency.

The lawsuit asserts a medical malpractice claim against St. Luke’s Hospital, alleging that the hospital was negligent when it administered gadolinium-based contrast dyes to a patient with renal failure. The suit also asserts that the unknown makers of the dyes, “John Does,” are strictly liable for the patient’s injury because they defectively designed the contrast agents and knowingly failed to warn consumers about the health risks. Finally, the suit alleges, the products were negligently designed and that the companies negligently and fraudulently represented to patients that they were safe. The plaintiff seeks actual and punitive damages.

Source: Business Wire

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