A multi-state outbreak of fungal meningitis has been associated with lumbar epidural steroid injections into the spinal fluid. The fungi involved in the steroid meningitis outbreak include Aspergillus, Exserohilum and possibly others. To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed 105 cases of fungal meningitis in 9 states that are part of this outbreak. Eight people have died. Many of the meningitis victims also had strokes.
According to the CDC, all of the meningitis patients had been injected with preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate (80mg/ml) prepared by New England Compounding Center (NECC), a compounding pharmacy located in Framingham, MA.
Attorney Fred Pritzker has been contacted by victims of this outbreak. “Patients who received injections of the implicated methylprednisolone acetate are scared, and rightfully so. Selling a contaminated product that is directly injected into the spine is unconscionable. We want to know what safety procedures the company had in place and if they were followed. Obviously, something went very wrong and the company did not have adequate fungal testing to catch the contamination,” said Pritzker, a national product safety attorney who has won millions for his clients.
In response to this outbreak New England Compounding Center has voluntarily recalled all of its products currently in circulation that were compounded at and distributed from its facility in Framingham.
Recalled products were sent to locations in 23 states. Below are lists of these locations by state.
Clinics in California include the following: Cypress Surgery Center, Visalia; Encino Outpatient Surgicenter, Encino; Ukiah Valley Medical Center, Ukiah; and Universal Pain Management, Palmdale. The product was distributed to only one clinic in Connecticut, Interventional Spine and Sports Medicine, Middlebury. In Florida, the following received the implicated steroid product: Florida Pain Clinic, Ocala; Interventional Rehab Center, Pensacola; Marion Pain Managment, Ocala; North Surgicenter, Palm Beach Gardents; Orlando Center for Outpatient Surgery, Orlando; Pain Consultants of West Florida, Pensacola; Surgery Center of Ocala, Ocala; and Surgical Park Center, Miami.
One clinic in Georgia and two in Idaho received the steroid vials, Forsyth Street Ambulatory Surgery Center, Macon, GA; Pain Specialists of Idaho, Idaho Falls, ID; and Walter Knox Memorial Hospital, Emmett, ID. The recalled steroids were distributed to three Illinois locations: APAC Centers for Pain Management, Westchester and Chicago; and Thorek Memorial Hospital, Chicago. And distributed to 5 in Indiana: Amublatory Care Center, LLC, Evansville, IN; Fort Wayne Physical Medicine, Fort Wayne, IN; OSMC Outpatient Surgery Center, Elkhart; South Bend Clinic, Union Hospital, Terre Haute; and Wellspring, Columbus.
In Maryland, the steroids were distributed to the following locations: Baltimore Pain Management, Berlin Interventional Pain Management, Box Hill Surgery Center in Abingdon, Greenspring Surgery Center in Baltimore, Harford County ASC in Edgewood, Pain Medicine Specialists in Towson, and Surgcenter of Bel Air. In Michigan, distribution was to the following: Michigan Neurosurgical Institution in Grand Blanc, Michigan Pain Specialists in Brighton, Neuromuscular & Rehabilitation in Traverse City, and Southeast Michigan Surgical Hospital in Warren.
Six locations in Minnesota received the implicated steroids: MAPS-Edina Medical Pain Clinic in Minneapolis, MAPS-Medical Advanced Pain in Fridley, Medical Advanced Pain Specialists in Shakopee and Maple Grove, and Minnesota Surgery Center in Edina and Maple Grove. North Carolina clinics include the following: High Point Surgery, North Carolina Orthopedic Clinic in Durham, and Surgery Center of Wilson.
In New Hampshire, Dr O’Connell’s Pain Care Centers in Merrimack and Somersworth received the NECC steroid products. Seven locations in New Jersey received the steroids: Central Jersey Orthopedics Specialists in South Plainfield, Edison Surgical Center, IF Pain Associates-Isaiah Florence in Teaneck, Premier Orthopedics Surgery Association in Vineland, Comprehensive Pain Management in Sparta, and South Jersey Healthcare in Elmer and Vineland. Only one clinic in Nevada is involved in the recall, Sahara Surgery Center in Las Vegas. Three New York clinics are involved: Butani, Sunil Physician in Mineola; Obosa Medical Services in Mount Vernon; and Rochester Brain and Spine in Rochester.
New England Compounding Center distributed potentially contaminated product to the following Ohio pain clinics: BKC Pain Specialists in Marion, Cincinnati Pain Management, Marion Pain Clinic, and Ortho-Spine Rehabilitation Center in Dublin. The company distributed product to two locations in Pennsylvania, South Hills Pain and Rehab in Jefferson Hills and Allegheny Pain Management in Altoona. In Rhode Island, product was distributed to New England Anesthesiology in Warwick and Ocean State Pain Management in East Greenwich and Woonsocket. Intervene MD in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, also received NECC steroid products.
Although most of the cases are from Tennessee, only three clinics received NECC steroids, including PCA Pain Care Center in Oak Ridge, Specialty Surgery Center in Crossville, and St. Thomas Outpatient Neurosurgical in Nashville. Dallas Back Pain Management and Harris Methodist Southlake Center in Texas also received the recalled products.
Two clinics in Virginia gave epidural steroid injections compounded by NECC resulting in confirmed cases of meningitis: Insight Imaging-Roanoke and New River Valley Surgery Center in Christiansburg. Pars Interventional Pain in Parkerburg, West Virginia, also received the implicated products, but WV does not have any confirmed cases of fungal meningitis connected to this outbreak.
thankyou for listing names of facilities in each state.. i had a nerve block done and wasnt sure ic it could effect me thankfully my doctors wasnt one of them. I will be praying for the others infected.
Thank you for posting the clinic/hospital names. I had shots in Feb and Sept at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, FL. I was very worried but now that I see the official list I’m relieved. God help the poor people who had the tainted shots. Very sad what has happened.
It was extremely helpful to find a list of the 23 states and the clinic locations in each of them that received the contaminated steroid. My daughter had steroid injections in Seattle for back pain in that time period and no news article named the 23 states.