Heater-cooler devices, often used during cardiac surgery, have unfortunately been linked with an increased risk of developing a mycobacterium chimaera infection.

If you or someone you love has suffered from complications after surgery with the use of a heater-cooler device, including mycobacterium chimaera infection, you may be able to file a lawsuit.

Basics of Heater-Cooler Devices

Essentially, cardiac heater-cooler devices are used during heart surgeries in order to regulate a patient’s body temperature, warming and cooling the blood as necessary. The devices function by sending temperature-controlled water to warming and cooling blankets. These devices are used fairly often, including in more than a quarter million heart bypass procedures each year, according to the CDC.

However, there is a risk of the water becoming contaminated. Though patients do not come in direct contact with the contaminated water, they may still be exposed as the water leaks through other parts of the device or even as it aerosolizes (moves through the air) through the device’s exhaust vent.

Exposure to contaminated water from a heater-cooler device can result in side effects, including mycobacterium chimaera infection.

According to researchers, contaminated devices may lead to hundreds of cases of mycobacterium chimaera infection annually, around 80 of which affect U.S. patients.

Contaminated Devices

Heater-cooler devices are manufactured by a number of companies, including LivaNova. The CDC warns that during the manufacturing process, some of the Sorin 3T devices from LivaNova may have been contaminated with a bacterial species of Nontuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM), which can cause infection after heart surgery.

The Sorin 3T device was recalled by the FDA in July 2015 due to the “potential colonization of organisms, including Mycobacterium.” Now, a growing number of patients are filing lawsuits over infections caused by contaminated devices used during surgery.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has looked into adverse event reports, which include reports of infection after heart surgery. One of the major problems linked with contaminated heater-cooler devices is Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) infections. An NTM infection after heart surgery may indicate that the bacteria grew in the heater-cooler water tank.

Patients may not even develop symptoms of the mycobacterium chimaera infection after heart surgery for months or even years after the initial exposure. This means that a person who undergoes a heart surgery will likely not even consider an infected device as one of the possible causes of infection months or years down the line. Indeed, reports show that the average cardiac surgery patient linked with heater-cooler contamination failed to show symptoms of infection after heart surgery for one and a half to three years.

Filing a Lawsuit Over Mycobacterium Chimaera Infection After Heart Surgery

If you or someone you love has suffered from a mycobacterium chimaera infection after heart surgery with the use of a heater-cooler device like the Sorin 3T System, you may be able to file a lawsuit or join a class action mycobacterium chimaera infection lawsuit.

While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the physical and emotional effects of such a serious infection after heart surgery or bring a loved one back to life, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.