Several hospitals have sent heart surgery patients notifications that they may be at risk for a bacterial infection after the CDC warned hospitals in October 2016 that the Stöckert 3T heater-cooler device manufactured by LivaNova could spread bacterial infections to patients.
CDC officials encouraged hospitals that use the device to alert potentially affected patients.
In December, Becker's rounded up seven hospitals that had notified patients of the infection risk since October 2015. Here are six hospitals and health systems that have sent patients notifications since early December.
1. In December, IU Health sent 6,500 patients at its Methodist and University campuses in Indianapolis and its Arnett (Ind.) and Bloomington (Ind.) hospitals. No patients had been diagnosed with an infection.
2. In December, Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis sent notifications to 430 patients in December. At the time, no patients had contracted an NTM infection.
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3. In December, 800 patients at Franciscan Health's Indianapolis, Lafayette and Crown Point hospitals in Indiana received notifications. No Franciscan Health patients had been diagnosed with an infection at the time.
4. In December, Community Health Network in Indianapolis sent notifications to 600 patients. As of Dec. 29, no patient had been diagnosed with an NTM infection.
5. In January, Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina Health notified up to 3,000 patients of infection risk. As of Jan. 24, it had received no reports of actual infections.
6. In January, Spartanburg (S.C.) Regional Healthcare System notified more than 2,000 patients of infection risks associated with heater-cooler devices. No SRHS patients had developed an infection as of Jan. 27.