Infection Prevention

A South Carolina woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and a medical tech company because her husband died from a rare infection linked to a recalled medical device used during his heart surgery.

The woman’s husband was diagnosed with mycobacterium chimaera after his surgery, an infection caused by exposure to a “less sterile environment that can cause tuberculosis and leprosy.

The lawsuit alleges MUSC was negligent in using the device, failing to properly clean it, and not informing the patient of its use despite a recall.

This case is not isolated, with the CDC identifying 16 patients at MUSC linked to similar infections, five of whom have died.