CDC Advisory Issued on Devices Used During Cardiac Bypass Procedures

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory regarding non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections following exposure to contaminated heater-cooler devices used to warm and cool a patient’s blood during cardiac bypass procedures.
Hospitals or providers caring for patients with confirmed or suspected NTM infections following heart bypass procedures are asked to contact the North Carolina Division of Public Health (NC DPH) at 919-733-3419. All identified cases should also be reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) via MedWatch here. NC DPH is available to assist facilities should further investigation be necessary.
NC DPH recommends that hospitals performing heart bypass procedures follow CDC and FDA heater-cooler guidance in this CDC Health Advisory. NC DPH will work with facilities that perform cardiac bypass procedures using the implicated devices to encourage notification of potentially exposed patients and adherence to CDC and FDA recommendations.
Recommendations may change as new information becomes available. Additional information is available from CDC and FDA at the following sites:
Contaminated Heater-Cooler Devices
FDA Info Sheet on Heater-Cooler Devices