3M™, the company that currently makes and markets the Bair Hugger™ adamantly denies claims that this forced air warming blanket presents undue risk of infection in surgical patients. This denial is supported by a large body of scientific research and cases studies with findings contrary to the claims made by plaintiffs in Bair Hugger™ lawsuits. In fact, multiple studies have found that use of a Bair Hugger™ may actually significantly reduce rates of post-surgical infection and blood loss, shortening hospital stays and speeding patient recovery. A small sampling of these studies and their conclusions in favor of the safety and efficacy of the Bair Hugger™ can be found here.
Another patient has filed a Bair Hugger lawsuit after suffering serious complications following hip replacement surgery where a Bair Hugger warming blanket was used.
Bobby Thomas filed his Bair Hugger lawsuit on April 13 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, naming both 3M and Arizant Healthcare as defendants. Here. Mr. Thomas claims that his surgical wound was infected as a result of use of a Bair Hugger warming blanket during his hip replacement surgery in April 2013. He says that the bacteria introduced into his wound by the warming blanket led to an infection so severe that he required further surgical procedures to remove the portion of his hip which became infected. He also says that he continues to suffer pain, impaired mobility, and other problems as a result of the Bair Hugger infection.
The Bair Hugger is a forced-air warming blanket which is sometimes used during surgical procedures to keep a patient warm, which may reduce blood loss and speed healing. However, even the designer of the Bair Hugger, Dr. Scott Augustine, now claims that the device is defective in that it may circulate contaminated air from operating room floors over open wounds, greatly increasing the risk of infection. In 2010, Dr. Augustine told the New York Times that he had warned Arizant Healthcare, the company that purchased rights to the Bair Hugger from him, that the device “is a danger to patients receiving implant devices like artificial heart valves and joints because the forced air can spread bacteria associated with hospital-acquired infections.”
Arizant Healthcare was purchased by 3M, and now a growing number of plaintiffs in Bair Hugger lawsuits claim that these companies were negligent in failing to protect them from the known risk of Bair Hugger infections. In his lawsuit, Mr. Thomas states, “Any reasonable and competent physician would not use a Bair Hugger in an orthopedic implant surgery if they were fully apprised of the dangers and risks associated with doing so. However, through misrepresentations to the public, medical community, and the FDA, the Defendant actively and knowingly concealed a propensity of these devices to cause infection in orthopedic implant surgeries.”
So many plaintiffs have filed Bair Hugger lawsuits after surgical infections that all such lawsuits filed in federal courts have been centralized before a single judge for pretrial proceedings. The formation of such a multidistrict litigation (MDL) is beneficial in preventing duplicate discovery and eliminating conflicting rulings from separate judges, and it also serves the convenience of all parties involved. Even as new Bair Hugger lawsuits continue to be added to this MDL, attorneys are currently working to assemble a small group of claims for early “bellwether” trials to gauge potential jury responses. In many MDLs, verdicts from bellwether trials often lead to early settlements.
If you or someone you love was diagnosed with a hospital-acquired infection after a Bair Hugger warming blanket was used during surgery, you could be owed compensation. Please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer to learn more about your rights in a free consultation.
