Of 89 heater-cooler devices tested by researchers, 33 tested positive for Mycobacterium chimaera, a bacterium tied to fatal infections in open-heart surgery patients, according to an article on the Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality website.
Researchers took 653 water samples from 89 heater-cooler devices received from 23 hospitals. The study also found other NTM species and fungi.
"Hospitals must follow the cleaning and disinfection instructions provided in the manufacturer's device labeling, as well as updated communications from the FDA and CDC," said Linda Greene, RN, president of APIC.
The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration recommend hospitals notify patients who have had open-heart surgery in the last five years if they were at risk for infection.
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