Kansas City Sorin Stockert Heater-Cooler Device Attorneys
The attorneys at Kuhlman & Lucas are now investigating and accepting personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death claims relating to infections caused by contaminated Sorin Stockert 3T heater cooler devices.
What is a heater cooler device?
A heater cooler device is a piece of equipment used during certain cardiac (heart) procedures. These surgeries can include artery bypass operations, the replacement of heart valves, or the replacement of diseased heart tissue. Heater cooler devices are used to help regulate the temperature of the patient’s blood by utilizing water to warm or cool the blood as it is circulated outside of the patient’s body. It is believed the water tanks and tube systems used by these heater cooler devices can become easily contaminated with bacteria.
While the water does not come into direct contact with the patient, there is the potential for contaminated water to enter parts of the heater cooler device and aerosolize, transmitting bacteria through the air and through the device’s exhaust vent into the environment and the patient. Even if the heater cooler device is not used during the surgery, it can still be prepped and present in the room leaving the potential for bacteria to circulate in the air and land on surgical tools and instruments.
The airborne bacteria may cause fatal infections.
The Sorin Stockert 3T heater cooler device has been linked to mycobacterium chimaera (M. chimaera), a specific type of nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM), which is commonly found in soil and water. M. chimaera is a slow growing bacterium and because of this, it may take months or years before an infection develops. Common symptoms of M. chimaera include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Pain, redness, heat or pus around the surgical site on the chest
- Night sweats
- Unexplained weight loss
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Muscle or joint pain
Even individuals who do not experience symptoms of M. chimaera should notify their doctors about the exposure to the bacteria during a surgical procedure so they may be monitored for potential health risks in the future.
Contact Kuhlman & Lucas to discuss your claim today.
The attorneys at Kuhlman & Lucas are currently taking cases for patients who underwent open heart or chest surgery and developed nontuberculous mycobacterial (NMT) infections afterwards. If you or a loved one has suffered any medical complications due to a bacterial infection during a cardiac procedure using the Sorin Stockert 3T heater cooler device or you have questions about your possible exposure to deadly airborne bacteria, call the attorneys at Kuhlman & Lucas to discuss your rights and possible compensation owed to you. Your obligation-free consultation will cost you nothing and the attorneys at Kuhlman & Lucas will not be compensated until reaching a successful outcome in your case.
Our team of attorneys has more than 45 years of combined experience and a track record that includes over $75,000,000 recovered in settlements and jury verdicts for our clients. We have the experience and dedication that you need and we are determined to help people in your situation achieve justice for the wrongs they have suffered.