Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Kasperbauer, Shannon H
• Daley, Charles L

Titel

Mycobacterium chimaera Infections Related to the Heater–Cooler Unit Outbreak: A Guide to Diagnosis and Management

Ist Teil von

• Clinical infectious diseases, 2019-03, Vol.68 (7), p.1244-1250

Ort / Verlag

US: Oxford University Press

Erscheinungsjahr

2019

Quelle

Oxford Journals 2020 Medicine

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Abstract We are in the midst of a global outbreak of Mycobacterium chimaera infections related to a point source contamination of a widely used surgical device, the 3T heater–cooler unit. More than 250000 heart bypass procedures using heater–cooler devices are performed in the United States every year. It is estimated that 60% of these operations use the device associated with this outbreak. Most of the reported cases present with a disseminated infection that is striking in both the latency of presentation and the high mortality. The diagnosis can be elusive due to intermittent bacteremia and normal echocardiography. Therapy includes several months of antibiotics, and surgical intervention appears to be critical for successful outcomes. Here, we review diagnostic methods and treatment options to guide clinicians in the management of this complicated infection. Mycobacterium chimaera is responsible for a global outbreak of infections after cardiothoracic surgery related to exposure to the 3T heater–cooler unit. In this article, we address diagnostic and treatment strategies for this complicated infection with a high mortality rate.