UPDATE: Second Pennsylvania Hospital Linked To Fatal Bacteria

A second Pennsylvania hospital is now warning thousands of open heart surgery patients that they may have been exposed to a potentially fatal bacteria that is now linked to at least six deaths in the state.

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center on Tuesday announced it is notifying approximately 2,300 open heart surgery patients of possible exposure to the bacteria during procedures performed between Nov. 5, 2011 and Nov. 5, 2015. The infection, known as nontuberculous mycobacterium, or NTM, may have been linked to two deaths at the hospital, officials there said.

The announcement comes just two weeks after a hospital in York was forced to alert 1,300 people of a similar infection after they learned that four people had died, likely as a result of NTM.

Two of the three patients who acquired NTM Infections at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, both of whom had complex medical conditions, are now deceased, the hospital confirmed.

In late October, WellSpan York Hospital began notifying patients who had open-heart surgery between Oct. 1 2011 and July 24, 2015 that they may have been exposed to NTM.

Eight patients who had open-heart surgery at the York hospital acquired an NTM infection; four of the infected patients are now deceased. “While the CDC has not directly linked the deaths of these individuals to the NTM infections associated with the heater-cooler devices, it is likely a contributing factor,” WellSpan York Hospital said in a statement.

Officials at both hospitals say they have linked the bacterial infection to a heater-cooler device used during open-heart surgery.

Penn State Hershey said it recently delayed two open-heart surgery cases so that it could replace its existing heater-cooler devices with new devices. As of Nov. 8, the Hershey-based Medical Center replaced all heater-cooler devices.

There is no longer a risk of bacterial exposure at WellSpan York Hospital, officials there said last month.

>> RELATED: 4 Deaths Linked To Bacterial Infection At Pa. Hospital

The hospitals learned of the risk after reading about it in a medical journal. A short time after the medical journal findings were released, York hospital officials said they became aware of several surgery patients with NTM infections of the type identified in the study.

WellSpan York Hospital has established a dedicated website (www.WellSpan.org/yorkopenheart) that contains information and resources as well as a toll-free nurse call center (866-217-2970), which is dedicated to answering questions from patients and the community 24 hours a day.

Penn State Hershey Medical Center has also established an informational website (www.pennstatehershey.org/open-heart) as well as a toll-free call center, 1-877-467-7484 to answer questions from patients and the community.

Federal health authorities believe this device issue may be widespread across the country and have issued health advisories to hospitals nationally in an effort to prevent these infections, WellSpan York Hospital said.