• Press Release

CDC Issues Health Alert Notice About Potentially Contaminated Devices Putting Open-Heart Surgery Patients At Risk for Infection

  • New York, NY
  • (November 04, 2016)

Mount Sinai Health System has not detected any of these infections and we are following all the recommendations set forth by both the CDC and FDA

The Mount Sinai Health System is committed to the well-being of our patients and to the public, in general. Therefore, we are posting this notice for the benefit of anyone who has undergone cardiac surgery. On October 13, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued advisories associating a rare infection from an organism known as Mycobacteria chimaera to the use of certain devices during cardiac surgery. It is believed that the devices were contaminated at the time of their manufacture.

Mycobacteria chimaera is very slow growing and infections from it are difficult to diagnose. Symptoms may not develop for months or even years after surgery, so it is important to know what to look for and discuss any symptoms or questions you may have with a health care provider. This infection is not contagious and cannot be transmitted from person to person.

To date, the Mount Sinai Health System has not detected any of these infections and we are following all the recommendations set forth by both the CDC and FDA. The CDC estimates the risk of this infection to be less than one percent.

Symptoms of an infection may include:

  • Night sweats
  • Muscle aches
  • Weight loss
  • Fatigue
  • Unexplained fever

Patients who have had cardiac surgery and are experiencing any of the above symptoms should urgently contact their primary care provider or cardiac surgeon. To help answer additional questions, please consult with your cardiac surgeon or refer to the resources listed below. 

For updated information, please click here.

Additional Resources:

About the Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.

Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2024-2025.

For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

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