Stockert 3T Heater-Cooler Lawsuit – Infectious Disease
Please note: Our law firm no longer accepts Stockert 3T cases.
Stockert 3T Lawsuits allege the manufacturer of the Stockert Heater-Cooler System failed to warn hospitals and doctors that patients faced an increased risk of infections from this medical equipment used for cardiothoracic surgeries.Stockert 3T Surgical Infections
Stockert 3T surgical infection lawsuits being filed against LivaNova PLC, maker of the 3T heating-cooling system, allege that the company knew or should have known that the Stockert 3T heating-cooling device can transmit bacteria to patients during surgeries, especially during open-chest cardiac procedures.
Non tuberculous Mycobacteria Infections
Nontuberculous mycobacteria infections (NTM) such as Mycobacterium chimaera, which are associated with the 3T systems, can cause serious, even fatal illness. One study has shown that as many as half of the people who develop infections from the 3T heater-cooler system may die from the infection.
3T Heater-Cooler Systems Purpose
Because a patient’s body temperature is important for a successful surgical outcome, surgeons often use heater-cooler units during surgery. These devices include water tanks that pump temperature-controlled water to heat exchangers or blankets which, in turn, cool or warm the patient’s body.Research has shown that water used in the 3T systems can become contaminated. Unfortunately, that contamination can then release bacteria into the air through the device’s exhaust vent back to the patient.
Heater-Cooler Side Effects Delayed by Months or Years
Significantly, there can be a delay of months or even years between a heater-cooler system being used during surgery and the patient’s being infected. This large gap between exposure and infection can make it difficult to diagnose and treat.
Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections / Side Effects
Patients who have undergone cardiac surgery would be wise to look for signs of endocarditis, surgical site infection, abscess, bacteremia, hepatitis, renal insufficiency, splenomegaly, pancytopenia, and osteomyelitis. All these are potential symptoms and complications from nontuberculous mycobacteria infections. They can occur up to four years after surgery. Patients with these symptoms should engage a doctor to perform a mycobacterial culture.
Stockert 3T Heater-Cooler Lawsuit – Infectious Diseases
Experienced infectious disease attorneys at our law firm are standing by today to help those injured by the Stockert 3T heater-cooler. Lawsuits of almost any kind must be filed within a given time frame, so we urge all whom this heater-cooler lawsuit may concern to take action immediately to preserve their legal rights.
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