Threatening infections due to contaminated devices in cardiac surgery

US Department of Health warns of increased risk of infection after heart surgery
Patients who recently had to undergo open heart surgery are at particular risk for developing a life-threatening infection, according to the latest release from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Specialists found that contaminated devices trigger this particular risk for affected patients. So a device for cooling seems to be to blame for the increased risk of infection.

Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in their study in the United States that patients with open heart surgery are at particularly high risk of developing infection. The CDC warned in a press release that contaminated devices in cardiac surgery can lead to such an infection.

For some time, there are more and more infections in open heart surgery. Physicians found that a contaminated device could be involved in the development of these infections. (Image: Africa Studio / fotolia.com)

If you develop an infection after heart surgery, seek medical attention immediately
If you've recently had an open-heart surgery and are now developing the symptoms of an infection, you should urgently see a doctor, say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts. These symptoms include, for example, heavy sweating during the night, weight loss, abdominal pain, fatigue, fever, muscle or joint pain, nausea and vomiting. Because such symptoms can be the result of a variety of diseases, the infections may be difficult to detect, the researchers warn. A medical device commonly used in cardiac surgery appears to be more contaminated and cause infection. However, it may take months, or in some cases even years, for these symptoms to appear, the experts add.

Many cases with contaminated coolers in 2015
Last year, there were at least 28 cases in the United States in which bacteria from a particular device in surgery were involved in triggering an infection, explain the doctors. The cases were detected, for example, in Pennsylvania, Iowa and Michigan. So-called Stöckert 3T heating radiators are used in many operations on the heart. However, contaminating this device during manufacture may result in life-threatening infections. The cooling device is designed to keep patients' blood and organs at a safe temperature during an open heart surgery, CDC specialists say. The medical community estimates that approximately 60 percent of all so-called cardiovascular procedures in the US use such a device.

Physicians observe increased risk of infection
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff suspect that the affected equipment was contaminated during the manufacturing process in Germany. In hospitals where an infection has already occurred, the risk of infection during surgery was between about one in a hundred cases and one in a thousand cases, add the physicians.

Already in 2015 there were infections in European patients
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had already expressed concerns about the device in October 2015. She had alerted health care providers that the affected device had been linked to infection. In July 2015, the FDA released another report that found a direct link between the infection of European patients and the specific radiator cooler. (As)