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Injured by a Fleet Enema?

Recent research has raised concern that in rare instances, certain bowel-cleansing preparations that patients drink before a procedure can severely damage the kidneys. These products are oral preparations made with sodium phosphate, and they include prescription Visicol tablets and Fleet-Phosphosoda and other over-the-counter versions containing  the same active ingredients.

A team of doctors from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons recently reported 21 cases of acute kidney failure from these products, including three that led to permanent dialysis and one to a kidney transplant. The study appeared in the November 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.  The manufacturer of Fleet-Phosphosoda, C. B. Fleet of Lynchburg, Va., has posted updated guidelines on its website and sent letters to doctors.

Until recently, only certain patients were warned about the risks of these phosphate-based bowel preparations, including those with impaired kidneys or congestive heart failure. The new research broadens the list of people who may be vulnerable to kidney damage to include healthy elderly people, patients with unstable angina, people who have had heart attacks, and anyone who is especially likely to become dehydrated, including people who take certain hypertension drugs and people who don’t drink enough fluid to replenish that lost in bowel cleansing.

In the new study, Dr. Markowitz and his colleagues described the findings from the Columbia renal pathology lab. The lab receives kidney tissue samples from 80 to 90 hospitals in 12 states each day. While looking for a source of the phosphate, the doctors noticed the patients had been prescribed a sodium phosphate solution to drink the night before the exam. The doctors decided to investigate all 7,349 kidney biopsy samples received by the laboratory since 2000, looking for cases of nephrocalcinosis. Dr. Markowitz has seen the medical records of people who were healthy before swallowing a phosphate-based bowel cleanser and are now on dialysis, and he wants to make sure every patient understands the risk.

If you or a loved one used a Fleet Enema and suffered side effects, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified drug side effects attorney.