SteriCare Sodium Chloride Lawsuit Claims Recalled Saline Solution Caused Infection, Wrongful Death

The family of a 26-year-old man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against SteriCare Solutions, Nurse Assist and various medical providers, alleging he died from an infection caused by a contaminated sodium chloride solution, which was recalled a month after it was used for wound cleaning and irrigation.

The complaint (PDF) was brought in California Superior Court on November 5, pursuing claims on behalf of Kameron Sohrabian and his parents, Babak Sohrabian and Mojgan Homaie. The lawsuit names the manufacturer of the recalled sodium chloride solution, Nurse Assist, LLC, along with Byram Healthcare Centers, Inc., SteriCare Solutions, City of Hope, Dr. Nicole Karras, Nurse Practitioner Lisa Gutierrez, and several unnamed individuals, as defendants.

Sohrabian was a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2016, and underwent a bone marrow transplant at age nineteen, according to the lawsuit. However, in the years following his transplant, he developed a chronic condition known as lymphedema, which causes wounds and infections around the legs.

During the course of his treatment for lymphedema at City of Hope hospital, healthcare workers prescribed four bottles of SteriCare 0.9% sodium chloride saline solution to treat his wounds, which was manufactured by Nurse Assist and supposed to be a sterile product. However, the lawsuit claims that Sohrabian began experiencing signs of a worsening infection immediately after using just the first bottle of the sodium chloride solution.

“These side effects included extreme pain, abnormal swelling throughout his entire body, a change in skin color to a purple or blue tint, and pain on his wounds and infections that were not getting better,” the lawsuit states. “On or around November 12, 2023, Decedent’s pain became intolerable.”

His parents called 911 and he was taken to the hospital, where he went into septic shock, then cardiac arrest, and died that same day.  They later learned that the product may have become contaminated with harmful bacteria due to a packaging seal defect, which could have compromised the sterile barrier.

Nurse Assist Saline and Sterile Water Recalls

On December 7, a little less than a month after his death, Sohrabian’s parents received a recall letter from Byram Healthcare, alerting them of a Nurse Assist Sterile Water recall that included the bottles given to the family under the brand name SteriCare. This recall was announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 6, 2023.

According to the FDA recall notice and advisory issued over a month earlier, officials had warned healthcare providers and facilities to stop using the products due to a packaging seal defect that could compromise sterility and lead to bacterial contamination.

The agency warned that this could lead to severe or deadly bloodstream, urinary tract, respiratory, open wound and soft tissue infections. It also warned that those with a weakened immune system, like Sohrabian, were at a particularly high risk of developing an infection from the recalled saline solutions.

While initially, the FDA indicated that it was not aware of any incidents or infections caused by the recalled products, the Nurse Assist recall was expanded in April 2024, after multiple reports of adverse events emerged.

The SteriCare sodium chloride lawsuit indicates that Nurse Assist failed to sell a properly packaged sterile product, and that it and the other defendants failed to give Sohrabian’s parents a timely warning, as they did not receive the recall notice until a month after the FDA’s announcement.

His parents indicate they would have never used the recalled saline solution had they been informed that it may be contaminated. They present claims of manufacturing defect, failure to warn, negligence, medical malpractice, breach of implied warranty and wrongful death.

Sterile Water and Saline Solution Recall Lawsuits

The recalls have impacted dozens of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Irrigation USP and Sterile Water for Irrigation USP products that were manufactured by Nurse Assist, and sold under a variety of brand names, including Nurse Assist, Stericare, Cardinal Health, Covidien, Idex, McKesson, Mac Medical, Medline, SOL, Trudell, Vyaire, Halyard Owens Minor and Medichoice Owens Minor.

Given the manufacturer’s apparent failure to adequately ensure product safety, Nurse Assist recall lawsuits are now being investigated by lawyers nationwide. These lawsuits allege that Nurse Assist LLC neglected its duty to provide safe, sterile medical products and failed to properly warn consumers and healthcare providers about the risks associated with contaminated products.

Financial compensation may be available through a Nurse Assist recall lawsuit for individuals who used the recalled sterile water or saline solutions and experienced any of the following injuries:

• Sepsis (septic shock)
• Bloodstream infections
• Respiratory infections
• Organ failure
• Necrosis
• Cardiac Arrest
• Wrongful death
• Other injuries caused by bacterial infections