Episode Details

The University of Kansas Hospital Authority settled a wrongful death lawsuit out of court, involving a contaminated heater-cooler device used in open-heart surgery. The device allegedly caused a fatal bacterial infection in patient Stephen Nolte, leading to his death in 2020. The family filed the suit in 2021, and the hospital settled the case with prejudice, meaning its done for good, no liability admitted. This case is one of over thirty lawsuits in Wyandotte County against the hospital and device maker LivaNova. Studies show these heater-cooler units can spray bacteria into the operating room air during surgeries, infecting open chest cavities with Mycobacterium chimaera. Stephen Nolte, a Navy vet and electrician from Raytown, had aortic valve surgery on March sixth, 2019, and battled severe complications until his death on July eighth, 2020. His family says the hospital ignored warnings on device risks, leading to his pain from organ failure and infections. LivaNova pushed to see the settlement details, arguing it proves the hospitals fault, but the judge shut that down. The trial against LivaNova kicks off Monday, as these infection cases keep unfolding, highlighting risks in heart surgery tech that regulators are still tackling.

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