People who have had heart surgery at the QEII or IWK in the last several years are being notified about a risk of infection, about 4,000 patients.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority says devices used to heat and cool blood during heart surgeries have been linked elsewhere to a rare bacterial infection.
Officials say the risk is low, and there have been no reports of infections in our hospitals; but there have been in other parts of North America and Europe, including Montreal.