Buffalo Grove woman sues over tainted syringes

A Buffalo Grove woman might be one of the first in the nation to file suit against the manufacturer of prefilled syringes that were contaminated with bacteria.

Katie Abrams, a 30-year-old leukemia patient, became violently ill after using tainted syringes as part of her home infusion therapy, according to the lawsuit filed Dec. 21 in Cook County circuit court.

The syringes, made by Angier, N.C.-based Sierra Pre-Filled, were used to flush catheters and intravenous lines.

Earlier this month, that company voluntarily recalled the bad batch of infected products.

After using the syringes, Abrams started uncontrollably shaking and vomiting, and developed a fever that reached as high as 105.5 degrees, according to the complaint.

Abrams, who is married and has a 2-year-old child, is an outpatient of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She was diagnosed with leukemia in August and is currently in remission.

The product was distributed to Florida, Texas, Illinois, Colorado and Pennsylvania. About 40 people were sickened in Illinois and Texas, including 20 outpatients from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, according to the FDA.

Dushyant Patel, president of Sierra Pre-Filled, said Wednesday he hasn't seen the lawsuit and has no comment.

Meanwhile, Abrams' Chicago attorney David Rapoport, said his client has still not "recovered 100 percent" from the bacterial infection.

After being rushed to the emergency room, Abrams had a nine-day hospital stay because and will require a future surgery, he said.

"This is a case where innocent people were harmed through neglect from others," said Rapoport. "When people make drugs, they have an obligation under the law to make drugs that are safe to use."

According to the lawsuit, the bacteria that contaminated the syringes and caused the plaintiff's infection was called Serratia marcescens.

Rapoport says he's since been retained by two other victims in the suburbs.

Abrams' suit does not specify a dollar amount.