Contaminated Devices Putting Open-Heart Surgery Patients at Risk

Contaminated Devices Putting Open-Heart Surgery Patients at Risk CDC encourages hospitals to take action, advises patients to seek care if ill 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning healthcare providers and patients about the potential risk of infection from certain devices used during open heart (open-chest) surgery.

Patients who have had open heart surgery should seek medical care if they are experiencing symptoms associated with infections, such as night sweats, muscle aches, weight loss, fatigue, or unexplained fever. This advice follows new information indicating that some LivaNova PLC (formerly Sorin Group Deutschland GmbH) Stöckert 3T heater-cooler devices, used during many of these surgeries, might have been contaminated during manufacturing, which could put patients at risk for life-threatening infections.

View additional information here: https://www.cdc.gov/hai/outbreaks/heater-cooler.html