SteriCare Sterile Water Lawsuit Filed Over Fatal Infection From Contaminated Bottles

Alabama man was repeatedly hospitalized due to sepsis and infections from contaminated SteriCare sterile water bottles, which allegedly resulted in him dying from septic shock.

When Linda McCaleb and a home health nurse used SteriCare sterile water to clean Dennis McCaleb’s surgical wounds, they unknowingly introduced contamination that led to sepsis and ultimately his death.

In a complaint (PDF) filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama on November 6, Linda McCaleb now seeks to hold the manufacturers and distributors of the contaminated bottles responsible, naming Nurse Assist LLC, Medline Industries L.P., and McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc. as defendants.

According to the wrongful death lawsuit, the SteriCare products they relied on were among those included in a widespread Nurse Assist recall issued in November 2023, after the FDA warned that faulty packaging seals on certain sterile water and saline products could break and allow bacteria to enter.

Linda McCaleb’s claim now joins similar SteriCare sterile water and saline recall lawsuits filed by several other individuals alleging they developed severe, and in some cases life-threatening infections after using the contaminated solutions for wound care and other medical treatments in clinical and home settings.

Dennis McCaleb, of Alabama, underwent surgery for bowel obstruction and hernia, which led to him being hospitalized for several months, the lawsuit notes. After his discharge in May 2023, McCaleb was required to use a Foley catheter, ostomy bag and PICC line.

According to the lawsuit, Linda McCaleb and a home health nurse treated his wounds with SteriCare from May 2023 through January 2024. During this time, he was hospitalized repeatedly due to sepsis, suffered a urinary tract infection and delirium, which required emergency room visits and multiple hospitalizations.

On February 2, 2024, McCaleb died from complications with pancytopenia and septic shock.

“Decedent could not, by reasonable care, have averted damage and injury from using the contaminated Product, because Decedent, Plaintiff and Plaintiff’s health care providers were unaware that the Product was contaminated and/or had been subject to a recall until after it had already been used on Decedent. As a result of Decedent’s use of Defendants’ Product, he contracted a serious infection which caused him to develop sepsis and multisystem organ failure, ultimately resulting in his death.”

— Linda McCaleb,et al. v. Nurse Assist, LLC et al

McCaleb’s widow presents claims of negligence, negligent failure to warn, negligent design and manufacturer’s defect, negligent misrepresentation, breach of the implied warranty, Alabama’s extended manufacturer’s liability doctrine, and wrongful death and survival action.

SteriCare Sterile Water Lawsuits

The wrongful death claim comes as Stericare sterile water lawsuits continue to be filed nationwide against Nurse Assist and related distributors, each alleging that the companies failed to ensure its products were sterile as advertised.

Individuals who developed infections after using the recalled products may qualify for compensation. Product liability lawyers are currently reviewing claims on behalf of individuals who experienced:

• Sepsis or septic shock
• Bloodstream infections
• Respiratory infections
• Organ failure
• Necrosis or serious wound-related infections
• Prolonged hospital stays or additional surgeries

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