by
Lauren Dubinsky, Senior Reporter | February 02, 2017
Unique infection risks with cardiothoracic surgery
A hazard that hospitals might not foresee is infection risks that heater-cooler devices for cardiothoracic surgery pose. These devices have been identified as a potential source of nontuberculous mycobacteria infections, and are listed as the fifth top hazard on the 2017 list.
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Although this is a rare hazard, it can be life-threatening and there have been cases in which it resulted in patient deaths.
These devices warm or cool the patient by extracorporeal heat exchange with the patient’s blood during heart-lung bypass procedures. Warm or cold water is circulated through a closed circuit and if the device is contaminated, it can cause NTM infections.
ECRI recommends that hospitals only use filtered water in these machines, and that the air flow is directed away from the patient during surgery. These machines can cost between $30,000 and $40,000, and once they are contaminated, it’s impossible to decontaminate them.
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