Health warning as killer bug found in hospitals after death of 38 patients

10 October 2023 , 12:32

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The bug has killed 38 of the 50 people it has infected (stock image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A deadly killer bacteria that spreads through hospital equipment has taken the lives of almost 40 people who had heart or lung surgery.

The bug's presence can have an almost immediate effect on vulnerable patients but chillingly, it can thrive within someone's body for years before causing their death. In almost all cases of infection, however, it almost always proves fatal.

Mycobacterium chimaera (M. chimaera) is a type of bacteria that spreads through heater cooler units used inside NHS hospitals. These are devices often vitally needed in heart or lung surgery and regulate a patient’s temperature during surgery. But it is possible for the deadly bug to pass through them.

It can infect the lining of the heart, or other vital bodily systems, of patients who have just undergone what could often be life-saving surgery. However, the silent killer can lurk in the body, unknown for over a decade before striking with often fatal consequences. The bug has a terrifyingly high fatality rate, causing 38 deaths from 50 infections as of October 6.

However, NHS England have notified any patients who may be effected by the spreading equipment. Of those who died, some passed as quickly as one month after surgery, whereas someone else lived for almost 13 years. Alerting healthcare professionals, the UK Health Security Agency said that whilst risk of infection was low, once infection had taken place it was usually fatal.

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In an update to clinical guidance, they said: “The risk of infection is low and control measures are already in place. However, M. chimaera infection ..., is not always identified through conventional microbiology, and requires specific treatment.

“As of 6 October 2023, there were 50 cases of M. chimaera infection following surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass, of which 38 were known to have died. The median interval between surgery and diagnosis is 24 months but ranges from less than 1 to 154 months.”

This isn’t the first time that the heater cooler units have posed as spreaders for the deadly bacteria but guidance has been in place for years for hospitals to deal with and tackle the issue. The latest guidance update from the UK Health Security Agency increased the death tally, and case load by one.

This is a continuation of the same issue the country faced back in 2017. At the time, the then Public Health England warned hospitals to suitably clean and disinfect the equipment. Alongside that, it said they should be placed outside the operating theatre where possible.

Kieren Williams