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TB patient undergoes surgery to remove infected lung tissue

Infection Control Monitor, July 20, 2007

Andrew Speaker, the Atlanta lawyer infected with tuberculosis who caused an international health scare after traveling to Europe in May, underwent surgery at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver July 17 to remove the diseased part of his lung.

Because of his infectious disease, the surgery carried risks not just to Speaker but for the surgical team as well, reported CNN's senior medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, MD, who was allowed to observe the surgery. Everyone in the room, including physicians, nurses, and observers took special precautions to protect against transmission of the disease, including wearing air-tight masks, Gupta reported on CNN. Gupta said after putting on the mask, his head was covered with a hood and a bitter spray was used to ensure the mask was air-tight based on if he could taste or smell the substance. The medical team also had Gupta read a page of material without being winded to make sure he would not pass out from the air-tight mask.

The diseased tissue was sealed in a bag before it was removed from Speaker's body to keep it from infecting the chest wall or any other part of Speaker's body, Gupta reported. While physicians on July 3 announced they had downgraded the classification of Speaker's tuberculosis to multidrug resident (MDR) from extremely drug resistant (XDR), they will now have the opportunity to exam the lung and the bacteria itself.

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