Wall Street Journal reporter Thomas M. Burton in his article "Baxter Filter Comes Under Scrutiny In Dialysis Probe" reports on the investigation by The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the death of 33 kidney-dialysis patients in Spain, Croatia, and Texas. Of the 33 deaths 20 took place in Croatia. The Baxter Company manufactured filters, known as A, AF, and AX models are under inspection for faulty filters. The Baxter filters are said to be the only known common thread which could have cause those deaths. Spanish investigators are currently looking into the matter and refuse to comment at the time of this article. .
Baxter officials refused to believe that their filters are the cause of those deaths. However, of 21 dialysis death in Croatia, 20 filters were made by the Baxter's Sweden Company. Croatia deputy health minister is quite sure that Baxter filters are related to those deaths, and Baxter's deputy medical director in Europe is frustrated that the Croatian authorities "allegedly haven't supplied sufficient details for Baxter to know if its dialyzers play any role in those deaths." A number of different companies supply the pumping equipment to dialysis center. Dialyzers" are dialysis filters made by Baxter International Inc. In dialysis treatment, a person with impaired kidney function is hooked up by tubing, through which the patient's blood passes through the filter in the opposite direction to cleanse the blood.