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
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