In a trial in Wyandotte County District Court, Jamie Newberry, the chief perfusionist at The University of Kansas Hospital, admitted to halting the disinfection of heater-cooler units used in surgeries, despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the risk of contamination. This decision is linked to the death of Stephen Nolte, who underwent an aortic valve replacement on March 6, 2019, and died from a Mycobacterium chimaera infection on July 8, 2020. The case is one of over two dozen lawsuits filed against KU Med and LivaNova USA Inc., the manufacturer of the devices, alleging that 25 patients contracted the infection due to negligence, resulting in 11 fatalities. Newberry's testimony revealed that the heater-cooler device used in Nolte's surgery had not been disinfected for five months prior to the operation. The trial, expected to last three weeks, has already seen a settlement between KU Med and Nolte's family, although no admission of liability was made. Newberry acknowledged that his decision to stop disinfecting the units contributed to the infection outbreak, which has raised concerns about hospital protocols and patient safety.