Baxter Recalls Filters After Dialysis Deaths

U.S. medical equipment maker Baxter International said it had recalled some of its blood filters pending results of an investigation into the deaths last week of 21 kidney dialysis patients in Croatia.

The company recalled three types of dialysers--devices used to clean the blood of patients with kidney malfunctions--as a precaution after the Croatian ministry of health squarely blamed the product for the spate of deaths during or immediately after treatment in eight local hemodialysis centers.

Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter invited an independent body--Germany’s Tuv--to audit its facilities in Sweden and the United States. It also set up an independent panel of experts, headed by French nephrologist Bernard Canaud, to conduct its own investigation, which may take several weeks.

Baxter shares closed down 12 cents at $51.43 on the New York Stock Exchange.