Exclusive: Heart patients receive infection warning letter
Symptoms can take up to five years to appear
Patients who have undergone certain types of open heart surgery have received a letter from the Manchester Heart Centre to make them aware of a potential infection risk.
It is linked to a device used across the world to heat and cool blood and the infection can take up to five years after surgery to appear.
The letter says: "We are contacting patients who have had certain types of open-heart surgery in the past to make them aware of a potential, but very low, infection risk. If you are generally well and do not have any symptoms, then you do not need to worry or take any action.
"Public Health England, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority and NHS England have carried out an investigation suggesting that a device used to heat and cool the blood during some types of heart surgery has been linked to a rare bacterial infection cause by Mycobacterium chimaera.
"This device is essential for carrying out surgery and we are now looking on reducing the risk. This is an issue that has affected this type of machine across the world.
The letter goes on to say the risk from this infection is very low - about one person in every 5,000 people who have open heart surgery for valve replacement or repair will develop it. For patients who do become infected, this infection can be slow to develop and difficult to diagnose.
"It is possible to develop symptoms years after surgery which is why we are letting people know what symptoms to look for.
"Symptoms of an infection with this bacterium have many of the same features of other illnesses. Therefore, if you experience any of the following, while it is unlikely to be caused by this bacteria, it would be considered should you be seen by your GP or other health care professional as a possibility that needs to be excluded.
Symptoms to be aware of include: Unexplained fevers, unexplained weight loss, increasing shortness of breath, night sweats, joint or muscle pain, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain, abnormal levels of tiredness or fatigue, pain, redness, heat or pus around the surgical site.
The infection cannot be spread person-to person and the letter stresses that there are other causes for these symptoms so there is no need to be alarmed or seek emergency treatment.
Part of the letter is published below: