Family describes Navy vet, hands-on dad at center of KU Med surgery trial. What to know
The family of Stephen Nolte, a Navy veteran who died at 71 after contracting a bacterial infection following open-heart surgery at The University of Kansas Hospital, testified in Wyandotte County District Court about his life and agonizing decline.
The trial against medical device manufacturer LivaNova USA Inc. is expected to wrap up next week.
FULL STORY: Man who died of infection after KU Med surgery was Navy vet, hands-on dad: testimony
Here are key takeaways:
• Nolte underwent an aortic valve replacement on March 6, 2019, and later contracted Mycobacterium chimaera infection from what his family alleges was a contaminated heater-cooler device used during surgery. He died on July 8, 2020.
• The University of Kansas Hospital Authority reached a confidential settlement before trial, with no admission of liability. LivaNova, which manufactured the device, denies fault and contends KU Med staff failed to disinfect the units according to company instructions.
• Nolte’s case is among more than two dozen lawsuits filed in Wyandotte County District Court alleging 25 patients contracted M. chimaera after open-heart surgery at KU Med. Eleven of those patients died.
• Nolte’s wife, Christine, testified that a letter arrived in April 2020 warning of M. chimaera problems in the time frame of his surgery. She said doctors initially did not believe the infection was causing his decline, and his blood was not tested until his son pushed the issue.
• LivaNova’s expert witness, Dr. Edward Dominguez, testified that Nolte had multiple underlying health conditions and said he did not believe M. chimaera contributed to Nolte’s death. On cross-examination, Dominguez acknowledged he had never treated a patient with disseminated M. chimaera.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
