Were you or a loved one hurt by a heating or cooling device during open heart surgery?
Our medical device injury attorneys are investigating claims related to serious and fatal infections caused by heating and cooling devices during surgery. Surgeons use heating and cooling devices during surgery to maintain body temperature, promote healing, and speed up recovery. However, many of these devices can cause infections because of increased exposure to bacteria.
Sorin Stocker 3T Heater-Cooler Devices are used during open heart surgeries and may have caused serious or fatal infections because of contamination. We are investigating Sorin Stocker 3T Heater-Cooler claims related to infections after surgery caused by increased exposure to bacteria, particularly Mycobacterium chimaera infections.
Why may there have been an increased risk of infection with Sorin Stocker 3T Heater-Cooler devices?
Sorin Stocker 3T Heater-Cooler devices, like many other heater-cooler devices, use water inside of a closed system, as the FDA explains, to maintain the temperature of patients during open heart surgery. Although water does not enter the body, the contents of the closed system can enter the air and potentially get into any open parts of the body during surgery as the CDC found in a study testing Sorin Stocker 3T Heater-Cooler devices.
Stocker 3T devices were found to be potentially contaminated with Mycobacterium chimaera and the public was alerted by the FDA after laboratory tests found contamination in some Stocker 3T devices. LivaNova PLC, formerly Sorin Group, recalled their Sorin Stocker 3T heater-cooler device as a result of “Potential colonization of organisms, including Mycobacteria” and the CDC issued a health alert about the problem in October 2016.
If you had open heart surgery that used a heater-cooler device, there’s the potential you may have been infected with Mycobacteria. Symptoms of an infection can be dormant and can take months or even years to start to occur. Over 600,000 heart surgeries since 2012 may have used Sorin Stocker 3T heating-cooling devices and over 600,000 patients may be infected with M. chimaera and not know it.
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What complications has infections from Sorin Stocker 3T devices caused?
Patients who experience complications from open heart surgery infections from heater-cooler devices tend to report many of the same problems. If you or a loved one experienced any of these complications or symptoms after an open heart surgery that used the Sorin device, you may have a Stocker 3T Heater-Cooler lawsuit claim:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Pain
- Redness, heat, or pus at the surgical site
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Blood tests that show elevated white blood cell counts or bacterial infections
If you have experienced any of these complications after having an open heart surgery with a Sorin heater-cooler device, contact our attorneys today for a free consultation at no cost to you.
Our Medical Device Injury Law Firm – Stocker 3T Heater-Cooler Lawyers Fighting for Patient Safety
Emerson Firm, PLLC has extensive experience prosecuting claims on behalf of patients and their families, both in cases of medical device and medication injuries. We believe in the protections of the law and hold doctors, medical staff, hospitals and medical device manufacturers accountable when they’ve harmed patients and their families because of errors.
We know our role as Stocker 3T Heater-Cooler lawyers is to ensure the voice of patients and their families are heard and our mission is to fight to uphold protections that keep us all safe during medical procedures and care. Our medical device legal team knows the ins and outs of what it takes from experience. We’re also recognized as leaders in the legal industry from various legal communities.
Why are manufacturers being held accountable in Stocker 3T Heater-Cooler lawsuits?
Our medical device injury attorneys are investigating claims to hold Sorin and the manufacturers of the Stocker device accountable. Contamination of the heater-cooler devices is suspected to have occurred during the manufacturing process when the closed system was created.
Drug and medical device manufacturers have to be held accountable in cases where they have failed to keep patients safe because of manufacturing defects like this alleged contamination of Stocker Heater-Cooler devices.
What should I if I recently had open heart surgery?
The first step is to contact your medical professionals to get copies of your medical records. In most cases, this information will tell you if a Stocker device was used during your operation. Be sure to watch your health closely for any complications post-surgery, even if it has been months since your surgery. Remember, the symptoms of a bacterial infection from Mycobacteria can take months or even years to appear. If you do experience any symptoms, be sure to record and document these as well as contact your medical care professional about your symptoms.
Like many other medical device lawsuits, holding the manufacturer responsible for the harm they’ve caused to you or a loved one requires building a robust, well-documented case to prove that their device caused the harm and that the device was at fault.
Stocker 3T Heater-Cooler manufacturers will likely try to prove that their device wasn’t at fault—and that it was your fault or even your doctor’s. We work with clients to gather together documentation, testimonies, and medical studies to prove the harm was caused by the device, not the victim or their caregivers.
A medical device injury lawyer may be able to help you make your claim and gather together all the information for a IUD lawsuit. Our medical device injury firm offers free initial consultations at no charge to learn about your case and see if we can help you pursue damages.
Successful Stocker Heater-Cooler cases may be able to recover compensation for the following:
- Medical expenses, both caused by the injury and future expenses for conditions caused by the injury
- Lost wages, even if you could go back to work after recovery
- Loss of earning potential
- Loss of consortium to spouses due to life-changing injuries or death
- Pain and suffering
- Other damages, such as parental support, life’s enjoyment and more
If you believe that you or a loved one were a victim of Stocker Heater-Cooler device complications, contact the medical device lawyers at Emerson Firm today to speak with one of our experienced attorneys. Don’t let medical device companies take advantage of their position and hold those accountable who caused your injuries or the injuries of a loved one because of mistakes.
Call us today!