Kidney Failure (Renal Failure)

Kidney Disease is a Side Effect of Oral Sodium Phosphates (OSPs) and a Risk Factor for Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF)

Kidney failure (also called renal failure) can be an injury suffered as a drug side effect, and a condition that places one at risk of other drug side effects.  Use of oral sodium phosphate (OSP) products, such as Visicol and OsmoPrep, can cause kidney failure.  Further, those suffering from kidney failure are most at risk of developing Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) when injected with gadolinium-based contrast agents for an MRI or other medical scan.

What are the Kidneys?

The kidneys are bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist, located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage.  The kidneys filter waste products and excess water from the blood.  The waste products and water become urine, flowing from the kidneys to the bladder through tubes called ureters.

The kidneys remove waste using tiny units called nephrons.  Each kidney has about one million nephrons.  In each nephron is a glomerulus, a tiny blood vessel (capillary) that intertwines with a urine collecting tube called a tubule.  The glomerulus acts as a filter, allowing wastes and extra fluids to pass through, but keeping normal proteins and cells in the bloodstream.  The filtering measures out sodium, phosphorus and potassium, helping to maintain the body’s proper levels of these substances.  The kidneys also release important hormones into the body.

What Can Cause Kidney Failure?

The two most common causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.  With diabetes, glucose in the blood does not break down.  When blood passes through the kidneys with elevated glucose levels, it acts as a poison, damaging the nephrons.  High blood pressure can also damage the small blood vessels in the kidneys.  Because those diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure may also have impaired kidney function as a result, they are also potentially at risk of developing Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) from gadolinium-based contrast agents.

Oral sodium phosphates (OSPs) also can cause kidney failure.  Popular OSPs include Visicol and OsmoPrep, both commonly used to clean the bowels before a colonoscopy.  OSPs work by drawing large amounts of water into the colon.  This can lead to acute phosphate nephropathy, causing kidney failure.

Gadolinium-based contrast agents also can cause acute reversible renal failure.  This means complete kidney failure that is temporary, rather than permanent.

How Kidney Function (Renal Function) is Tested.

Three simple tests are used to screen for kidney disease: blood pressure measurement; testing for a blood protein called albumin in the urine; and calculation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) based on serum creatinine measurement.

High blood pressure can lead to kidney disease, but it can also be a sign of existing kidney disease.  Testing for albumin in the urine works because healthy kidneys remove wastes from the blood but leave protein.  When the kidneys are not functioning properly, albumin may leak into the urine.  GFR is a calculation of how efficiently the kidneys are filtering wastes from the blood.  In years past, a GFR calculation required an injection of a substance into the bloodstream.   The new method, eGFR, requires only a blood sample.

The best way to avoid the risk of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) is to have your GFR measured before being injected with a gadolinium-based contrast agent.  NSF strikes people with kidney disease because of their body’s inability to remove the gadolinium-based contrast agent before it begins breaking down.  By having your GFR measured first, you can make sure that you do not have kidney disease that would place you at risk of NSF when exposed to the gadolinium contrast agent.

Your Legal Rights and Remedies

If your kidneys failed after using Visicol or OsmoPrep, you may have a legal claim for your injury.  Likewise, if you already suffered from renal failure (kidney disease) or were on dialysis, then developed Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) after injection of a gadolinium-based contrast agent, you may have a legal claim against the contrast agent’s manufacturer.  Contact DeCarli Law for a free consultation regarding your legal rights.  If appropriate, the OSP attorneys/MRI lawyers at DeCarli Law can help you bring a lawsuit for your injury.