York Hospital said the risk stems from the bacteria becoming “aerosolized” by the heater-cooler device during surgery.
Advertisement
The hospital said in a statement that the infection had been identified in less than 1% of patients who had open-heart surgery during that period. “We are committed to ensuring our patients have all the information, care and treatment they need regarding this issue”.
The hospital has set up a website, www.WellSpan.org/yorkopenheart, and a toll-free nurse call center (866-217-2970), to answer questions from patients 24 hours a day.
In a few rare cases it can cause infections in patients who have had invasive procedures, especially those with weakened immune systems.
Thankfully, NTM is non-contagious and can be successfully treated once it is identified. NTM is unusual in that it can take several years before people who are infected with it are diagnosed.
“The safety, health and well-being of our patients is always our highest priority”, Noll said.
The CDC hasn’t directly linked the deaths to the infections caused by a problem with heater-cooler devices used during surgery, but the news release says it is likely a contributing factor. Preliminary findings indicate a firm link between the NTM infections in patients and patient exposure to the heater-cooler devices during open heart surgery.
Four of the patients at WellSpan York Hospital later died, with the infections “likely a contributing factor”, hospital officials said, citing a joint investigation with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Not all of the reports were among patients who had undergone cardiac surgery, but a few reports don’t identify the procedure the patient had undergone, the safety communication states.
Last week, the CDC issued recommendations to health officials, health care providers and health care facilities to be on the lookout for any such cases and to take steps to prevent them.
York Hospital is notifying the 1,300 patients and advising them to go to their doctor if they believe they might have symptoms.
On July 20, 2015, WellSpan York Hospital notified the department about a cluster of patients with NTM infections.
The hospital said an internal review found that its cleaning protocols “did not align perfectly” with the manufacturer’s guidelines. The manufacturer recently alerted customers across the United States of enhanced cleaning procedures to address NTM contamination concerns.
“We know that the news of this potential risk of infection may be concerning to our open-heart patients, and we sincerely regret any distress that it may create for those patients and their families”, Noll said.
Pennsylvania Department of Health spokeswoman Amy Worden said the investigation focused exclusively on York.
Advertisement
The agency said patients became ill from contaminated devices in half of the 32 instances. It is working with local and state health officials, as well as the FDA.
