Heart surgery patients of Pasadena Huntington Hospital have received letters from the medical care facility, warning them they may be infected by life-threatening bacteria.

These letters were sent to heart surgery patients who underwent the procedure in the last four years, warning patients that a design flaw in the Stockert 3T Cardiac Heater Cooler may have exposed them to the potentially fatal M. chimaera bacterium.

Pasadena Huntington Hospital is one of numerous medical care facilities that used the Stockert 3T Heater Cooler, which has been linked to dangerous infections in heart surgery patients. In the most severe cases the heart surgery patients died. Federal health officials are estimating the risk of getting infections between one in 100 and one in 1,000.

According to an announcement released on Nov. 16, 2016 by Fresno County health officials, they were notified by an outbreak of these infections but did not disclose where the outbreak started. Two weeks after the announcement, state public health officials stated they had received injury reports of two heart surgery patients who were struck by the bacteria.

Huntington spokesperson Derek Clark told the Los Angeles Times that the Pasadena hospital has paid close attention to this risk and has “implemented CDC and FDA recommendations.” Clark also encourages patients to contact their physicians if they have any concerns.

Overview of Heart Surgery Infection Concerns

Over 250,000 heart bypass surgeries are performed in a single year, many of which using the Stockert 3T Cardiac Heater Cooler. This device is considered very important to these procedures, as it helps maintain adequate body temperature during these surgeries.

The Stockert 3T Cardiac Cooler Heater consists of tanks filled with temperature controlled water. While this water does not contact the patient directly, the FDA warns that there is potential for infection. According to the FDA, contaminated water could aerosolize and travel through the device’s exhaust vent into the surrounding environment and into the surgical site of the patient.

The deadly bacteria linked to this condition is a rare non tuberculosis bacteria, Mycobacterium chimaera (M. chimaera) that has been linked to serious illness and even death. This bacteria is often found in soil and water, and is not typically considered a risk for healthy people, but when surgical sites are exposed to the bacteria, it could mean deadly result for patients.

Heart surgery patients have reportedly become ill even years after their procedures, making it difficult to diagnose in early stages. There is currently no diagnostic test available to determine if heart surgery patients have been exposed to M. chimaera.

Medical officials state that heart surgery patients should immediately seek medical care if they experience any odd symptoms post-operation, like night sweats, muscle aches, weight loss, fatigue, and fever.

Even though the M. chimaera bacteria poses significant risks to heart surgery patients, manufacturing company LivaNova PLC allegedly failed to warn the public.

Heart surgery patients who were affected by the M. chimaera bacteria after a procedure using the Stockert 3T heater cooler may be able to file legal action against LivaNova PLC and should contact a specialized lawyer to discuss their options.