The patient, Che DuVall, underwent the procedure at UPMC Presbyterian Aug. 1 and was diagnosed with a fungal infection Sept. 3, just days before the hospital closed its cardiothoracic intensive care unit, the Tribune-Review reports.
Mr. DuVall and his wife have since filed a lawsuit in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Mr. DuVall’s lawyers argue hospital employees “carelessly and recklessly housed him in a room in the hospital’s cardiothoracic intensive care unit that made him more susceptible to a mold infection,” according to the report. They claim Mr. DuVall’s room had a negative pressure air flow system that endangered his health because he was immunosuppressed.
Federal investigators trying to identify the source of mold have yet to produce any leads, according to a statement from the CDC in late December.
To read Mr. DuVall’s full lawsuit, click here.
More articles on hospital mold and patient safety:
Top 10 infection control stories of 2015
CDC: Source of UPMC mold that killed 3 could not be found
Pittsburgh VA reopens ICU after handling mold problem
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