Five patients file lawsuit over contaminated syringes

By Margarita Snegireva. A manufacturer of a batch of pre-filled syringes was sued by five people over contaminated syringes it sells. Patients declared that after using syringes they became seriously ill and were hospitalized.

Photo: Five patients file lawsuit over contaminated syringes

Five patients file lawsuit over contaminated syringes

The syringes are used to flush catheters and intravenous lines.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday against syringe maker and distributor Sierra Pre-Filled of Angier, N.C., by plaintiffs Richard Farr, Tony Johnson, Jeffrey Marlin, Patricia Masterson and Milda Praninskas, who were all Illinois residents and patients at Rush.

In December, doctors traced numerous infections to heparin-filled syringes used during home treatment for cancer and other ailments. About 40 people in Illinois and Texas became sick, including 20 outpatients from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago .