A company that operates facilities where people can receive payments for donating blood plasma says it is not responsible for injuries a man says he suffered while giving plasma in Winnipeg.

The man filed a lawsuit claiming he suffered an acute kidney injury as a result of giving plasma at a Grifols facility operated by Canadian Plasma Resources on Taylor Avenue in July 2023.

The lawsuit alleges the man started to feel ill about an hour after he left the plasma facility and experienced flu-like symptoms, blood in his urine, and later, significant abdominal pain.

He was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

In his lawsuit, he says Canadian Plasma Resources sent him an email on the day of the incident, informing him that some red blood cells removed during the procedure “had been ‘broken’ and then erroneously returned back” to his body along with the plasma due to a “machine error.”

In response to the lawsuit filed July 9, Canadian Plasma Resources, operating as Grifols, filed a defence statement in court saying before the procedure, the plaintiff “was fully informed of the risks and side effects” and provided his consent.

The man was “provided with literature on the procedure, which he reviewed and understood,” says the defence statement filed Sept. 18.

The man had been to the facility for plasma donation at least 12 times before the occasion when he alleges he suffered the injury, it says.

Neither Canadian Plasma Resources nor its employees were negligent, and the lawsuit should be dismissed, the statement of defence says.

The man’s procedure “was conducted in a safe and prudent manner,” and employees followed all the applicable regulations, policies and protocols, the court document says.

After the man spent just over a week in hospital, he continued to face fatigue and low energy, which prevented him from returning to work for about a month, the lawsuit alleges, and he then returned to work gradually.

He suffered non-reversible permanent injuries from the acute kidney injury, the lawsuit alleges.

In its defence statement, Canadian Plasma Resources/Grifols denies the plaintiff suffered the injuries as claimed, but if there was any injury, it “was not caused or contributed to by any act or omission on the part of CPR or its employees.”

Instead, the company alleges the cause “was the result of the plaintiff’s pre-existing and/or unforeseen conditions.”

At the July 2023 procedure and on his prior visits to the plasma facility, “the plaintiff was given the opportunity to ask any questions relating to the procedure,” and his questions were answered to his satisfaction, the defence statement says.