Phospho-soda and Kidney Failure
The C.B. Fleet Company recalled two of its bowel cleansing products—“Fleet Phospho-soda” and “Fleet Phospho-soda EZ-Prep Bowel Cleansing System”—in December 2008 after they were linked to an increased risk of renal failure and permanent kidney damage. The recall of Fleet’s Phospho-soda products came in response to a warning by the Food and Drug Administration about the risk of kidney injury for patients using the products for bowel cleansing before a colonoscopy.
Because patients must take twice the normal dose of Phospho-soda when using these products for bowel cleansing, they may face an increased risk of a condition known as acute phosphate nephropathy. Acute phosphate nephropathy is a condition caused by the formation of calcium phosphate crystals in the renal tubules—the part of the kidneys that filters the blood and produces urine. According to evidence from legal and medical documents, deposits of these crystals can cause damage to kidney tissue and may lead to acute renal failure.
Patients who used an oral sodium phosphate solution (OSP) such as Fleet’s Phospho-soda have developed acute renal failure in as little as three days after undergoing a colonoscopy. Some patients who developed acute phosphate nephropathy after using OSPs will requite permanent kidney dialysis as a result of the kidney damage they have suffered.
According to an article in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, in many cases doctors fail to recognize acute phosphate nephropathy as a cause of acute or chronic renal failure. Patients who have taken OSPs such as Fleet’s recalled Phospho-soda products for bowel cleansing before a colonoscopy should take with their doctors to discuss whether their use may be linked to symptoms of kidney damage or renal failure.