January 2013

Gastroschisis is a congenital (from birth) malformation “in which an infant’s intestines stick out of the body through a defect on one side of the umbilical cord.”[1]  Since at least 2007, maternal use of paroxetine (Paxil®) during pregnancy has been associated with a 2.9-fold increased risk of gastroschisis.

PubMed Health, a service of the

The condition metabolic alkalosis occurs when the blood is excessively alkaline (or basic, as opposed to acidic).  This condition has a variety of known causes, including fever,[1] “being at a high altitude,”[2] “lack of oxygen”[3] and by excess bicarbonate in the blood.[4]  In the case of GranuFlo, metabolic alkalosis

On May 29th, 2012 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a Class 1 recall of Fresenius Medical Care’s GranuFlo and Naturalyte, products used to clean and filter the blood in patients undergoing hemodialysis for chronic kidney failure.  As reason for the recall, the FDA writes:

“Inappropriate prescription of these products can lead

Published in a 2011 edition of the medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, a study by Dr. Heli Malm (et al.) evaluated the risk of birth defects for children born to mothers who used selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (a type of antidepressant medication) during pregnancy.  Drugs whose danger was evaluated included fluoxetine (Prozac®, Sarafem®,

On June 14th, 2012, the New York Times published an article describing failure by the healthcare giant Fresenius Medical Care to warn doctors and patients of the dangers of two of its dialysis products: GranuFlo and Naturalyte.

GranuFlo and Naturalyte are mixes of chemicals used in hemodialysis procedures to fill the role of