What Is A Heater Cooler System Lawsuit?
Patients have started to file lawsuits against the manufacturer of this heater-cooler system.
24/02/2023
There have been a select group of people who
have contracted a very dangerous infection which
is known as non-tuberculous mycobacteria, this
has led to
Trulaw.com investigations and cases.
Why?
Well, this is actually a
consequence of a heater-cooler system that has
been used during open-chest surgery. Patients
have started to file lawsuits against the
manufacturer of this heater-cooler system.
What Are Heater-Cooler Machines?
When
a person is going through a surgical procedure
wherein the chest or other body regions may need
to stay open for a long period of time, the
fluctuation of body temperature is often an
issue.
Medical professionals, therefore,
need to be able to control the temperature of a
patient while they undergo surgery. This is
often done through systems such as the Sorin 3T,
a surgical heater-cooler system.
These
can be used in various amounts of procedures
where managing body temperature is difficult.
That being said, it is most often used for
cardiothoracic surgery.
These systems
contain special tanks which use closed circuits
to transport water that is temperature content
to external heating systems or cooling blankets.
Lawsuits Relevant To Heather-Cooler Machines
The producer of these heater-cooler
services has been named in quite a few lawsuits.
These claims state that the devices were flawed
in a dangerous way, which has led to bacterial
contamination in patients.
Patients are
able to contract deadly microorganisms via a
flaw in the manufacturing or design which can
then lead to disease or even death in some
cases. It has been shown that the company
actually neglected to address the flaw and
inform
medical professionals and patients of the
enhanced risk of bacterial infections.
2016 saw the highest number of reported cases in
the US, and around 50% of the patients died.
LivaNova made an offer in 2019 of $225 million
to settle 75% of the claims, and later that year
they intended on contributing over half of this
to the settlement.
Symptoms To Be Aware Of
If you are concerned that you may be at risk
or have symptoms from potential exposure to
bacterial infections as a result of the Stockert
3T heater-cooler system defects, you should be
aware of the symptoms.
This
heater-cooler system has been used for open
chest procedures that are focused on the liver,
lungs, or heart. The system provides a risk of
infection, and if you are due for surgery, weigh
up the risks and benefits with your doctor to
check that it is worth this risk.
Most
of the NTM species which have been found in
these heater-cooler units have a slow
development rate.
The development of an
infection as a result of this can actually take
months to over a year.
Symptoms include
- Fever.
- Fatigue.
- Weight loss.
- Muscle and joint discomfort.
- Abdominal discomfort.
- Nausea.
- Pain.
- Redness.
- Night sweats.
- Vomiting.
If you have any of these symptoms after a chest cavity surgery, contact your doctor or healthcare provider immediately. You should also make sure to inform them that you believe the operation you underwent is likely the cause of your symptoms.
Claims That Have Been Made
As per current reports made, those who had
surgery during which a heater-cooler unit was
used, ended up developing infections that are
very challenging to treat.
Many
incapacitating or even deadly conditions have
been linked to the NTM contamination from these
heater-cooler units in studies.
These
conditions include but are not limited to:
- Aortic Root Abscess
- Empysema
- Endocarditis
- Myocutaneous Thoracotomy Flap Infection
- Pericardial Abscess
Expected Compensation
Should you confirm
that the conditions you (or someone you know)
are suffering from are linked to these
heater-cooler units, you will need to report the
incident to the FDA MedWatch program.
Be
it yourself or a loved one who has contracted a
bacterial infection after surgery due to the use
of the Stockert 3T Heater-Cooler system.
A knowledgeable product liability lawyer
could also be useful for you as well, as they
can better evaluate the case, do so in detail,
and conclude what legal choices are available to
you.
You may be entitled to damages as
well, this could include:
- Emotional Distress
- Loss of income
- Loss of life enjoyment
- Past and Future Medical Expenses
- Suffering and pain
- Wrongful Death: This is only the case if a loved one died as a result of the infection
Overall
It is important to be aware of these lawsuits in relation to heater-cooler systems if you have undergone surgery with one of these heaters and are suffering painful/ harmful effects as a result. Compensation is critical.