In October of 2016 the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) sent a letter to hospitals in the United States to alert them that a device used for heating and cooling blood during open-chest cardiac surgery had the potential for contamination which could lead to serious infection and possibly death in patients.  The CDC recommended that the hospitals send a letter to all patients who might be at risk.

This device, manufactured in Germany, was shipped to the United States with the possibility that it contained Mycobacterium chimaera, a species of nontuberculosis mycobacterium (NTM). This is a significant issue because it is estimated that last year alone, 250,000 of these procedures were performed and approximately 60% of all of the hospitals in the United States used this particular heater-cooler device.

The infection is slow-growing and difficult to detect.  However, symptoms are:

•    Night sweats
•    Muscle aches
•    Weight loss
•    Unexplained fever
•    Fatigue

Sheller PC  is investigating this situation on behalf of affected clients.  If you have been contacted by a client who has received a letter as described above from their hospital or surgeon, or has been diagnosed with this infection following cardiac surgery please contact Jamie Sheller Esq for a free case consultation. 1 800 883 2299