Two more heart surgery infections linked to the use of a medical device known as a cardiac heater-cooler have recently been reported in the areas surrounding Philadelphia.

These add to the numerous other reports of heart surgery infections nationwide.

These heart surgery infectionsare linked to a slow-growing bacteria known as mycobacterium abcessus.

This bacteria is extremely rare and most physicians would not even think to check for it unless they were specifically told that a patient could have a potential exposure.

Following the two recent heart surgery infections reported, it has been reported that one of the patients with the infection has died.

However, officials at the hospital where the patient was being treated have indicated that it was not clear what role, if any, the bacteria played in the patient’s death.

The Pennsylvania State Department of Health has reported that 21 cases of the mycobacterium heart surgery infections have been confirmed at a total of three hospitals.

Twelve of the heart surgery infections were confirmed at WellSpan York Hospital, another five infections at Penn State Hershey Medical Center and for patients at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, the one patient did not have symptoms despite testing positive for the bacteria.

In addition to the two recent confirmed heart surgery infections in the Philadelphia area, another case has been confirmed at a New Jersey hospital. State officials have so far declined to release the identity of the facility out of concern of concealing the identity of the affected patient.

Despite federal officials claiming that the risk of developing these heart surgery infections from contaminated heater-cooler devices is quite low, infectious disease experts maintain that the full scope of the issue remains unclear.

The lack of clarity is due, in large part, to the fact that the bacteria grows very slowly and symptoms may not reveal themselves until months or years after the exposure.

Medical Device Could Be Source of Heart Surgery Infections

Cardiac heater-coolers are medical devices used during heart surgery that are designed to regulate the patient’s temperature during surgery. The temperature regulation assists with the improvement of surgical outcomes and the healing process that ensues.

The bacteria in question was found in the water in the device that gets heated and cooled and can become airborne as it is aerosolized through vents in the device. The cooled and heated water itself does not come in contact directly with patients, but it can travel through the vent.

The heart surgery infections have been tracked down to a particular manufacturer, and it is suspected that the cardiac heater cooler units were contaminated during the manufacturing process within the facility.

Hospitals using the device were notified and in turn have notified many patients across the United States who may be at risk for developing the heart surgery infections caused by the mycobacterium.

Many hospitals are in the process of ordering new units from a different manufacturer, but the lead time for having the units ready has been a concern in some locations.

In the meantime, hospitals have been encouraged to properly clean the devices based on instructions from the manufacturer and have been told to direct the exhaust vents from the device to the outside of the operating room.