Share:
Heart Surgery Why There Are So Many Infections After Heart Surgery
In recent years, there have been many infections worldwide after open heart surgery, some of which have become life-threatening. An international research team has now found the reason for the infections: According to bacterial pathogens came during the manufacturing in a medical device and have infected so many patients.
Life-threatening infections after heart surgery
Years ago, it was discovered that patients who underwent open heart surgery had infections that were in part life threatening. Scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a press release last year that the infections could be traced back to contaminated devices in cardiac surgery. A global gene analysis under co-direction of the University Hospital Freiburg could now show that bacterial pathogens could get into the medical devices during the production.
Years ago, it was discovered that patients who underwent open heart surgery had infections that were in part life threatening. An international research team has now found the cause of the infection. (Image: s_l / fotolia.com) Early suspicion of a radiator fell
Since 2013, more than one hundred patients in Europe, the USA and Australia have been diagnosed with open-heart surgery for a disease with the pathogen Mycobacterium chimaera, the University Hospital Freiburg reports in a statement.
In many cases, this infection has developed into a life-threatening infection with involvement of the heart valves used in the operation. Such a heart valve inflammation by this pathogen was not known until then.
Shortly after the first infections became known, the suspicion arose of a radiator, which is used in operations with heart-lung machine.
Contamination of the equipment during their production
An international team of scientists has now informed the genome of 250 isolates of Mycobacterium chimaera with considerable participation of physicians from the University Hospital of Freiburg and was able to prove that almost all of the infections investigated were caused by a contamination of the devices during their production.
The researchers published the results in the journal "The Lancet Infectious Diseases".
"Through our genetic analysis we were able to find out the cause of this worldwide outbreak. Now it is clear what the patient's risk was and how to avoid this route of infection ", said co-study director Prof. Dr. med. Dirk Wagner, Senior Physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Department of Internal Medicine II of the University Hospital Freiburg.
For safety reasons, remove affected devices
At Freiburg University Hospital, only one patient was affected who had undergone surgery in 2011. He was cured despite prolonged treatment. Other patients with the infection were not identified at the University Hospital.
For safety reasons, the affected devices were already removed from all operating theaters in Freiburg in 2014.
"The precautionary removal of the heating coolers and additional new diagnostic tests made it possible to quickly restore patient safety," says Prof. Wagner.
However, "there is a residual risk, as some of the infections can still lead to the disease very late (several years) after surgery," warned the physician.
Manufacturers have to change their production fundamentally
In the current study, the researchers examined pathogen genomes from 250 samples taken from sick patients, from the water tanks of the heaters of different manufacturers and their production sites.
The air in the operating theaters with the radiator running and other medical equipment, tap water and drinking water dispensers and other controls were also examined in the analysis.
"The genetic similarity of almost all patient samples with the samples from the heaters and their production facility is so great that the latter is extremely probable as a source of infection," explained Prof. Wagner.
"Manufacturers need to fundamentally change their production to prevent contamination of equipment from the outset." (Ad)