Trasylol Pulled From Worldwide Market

His team's study tracked the long-term survival of almost 3,900 heart patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery at 62 medical centers worldwide and found that the five-year death rate for patients given Trasylol was 20.8 percent, compared to 15.8 percent for those given another drug, aminocaproic acid, and 14.7 percent for those given tranexamic acid.

After the 2006 report from Mangano's group, the FDA advised doctors to carefully monitor Trasylol patients for kidney, heart and brain damage -- an action taken after Bayer itself disclosed study data showing that the drug increased the risk of death, kidney damage, congestive heart failure and stroke.

More information

There's more on cardiac surgery at the U.S. National Library of Medicine.