Outbreak of Mycobacterium chimaera Infection After Open-Chest Heart Surgery

Reported by Andreas Widmer in Basel and now published by Hugo Sax and colleagues (CID April 15^th, 2015), the amazing story of open-cheat heart surgery, Mycobacterium chimaera infections (years after the operation!), and contaminated heater-coolers in your operating room.

While the Swiss were first, we know by now that this problem is unfortunately not limited to the Alp region, but furthermore present e.g. in the Netherlands.   If your hospital has a program for open-chest heart surgery, now is the time to check your heater-coolers, to avoid further airborne transmission of M. chimaera from contaminated heater-cooler units.