Hospitals in Illinois and Around the Nation Warn Patients of Dangerous Infection Linked to Contaminated Medical Device Used in Open-Heart Surgery
Open-heart surgery is a very serious procedure that poses substantial risks on its own. Recently, a number of hospitals in Illinois and around the nation have warned patients who underwent open-heart surgery that they could be at risk for contracting a dangerous infection due to contaminated medical equipment. Patients who may have been exposed to the infected equipment are being sent letters to warn them and to urge them to undergo tests immediately.
The contaminated device in question is a heater-cooler unit that surgeons use to keep a patient stable while undergoing open-heart surgery. According to recent estimates, roughly 60 percent of open-heart bypass surgeries in the United States use the device in question.
According to the CDC, the contamination could have occurred at the time the device was manufactured. Regarding the potential outbreak, a spokesperson for the FDA said that the infections are highly invasive and could be life-threatening for many patients, posing a risk of serious illness and even death in some cases.