3m™ Bair Hugger Forced Air Warming Blanket Use Linked To Deep Joint Infections

South Carolina Defective Medical Device Attorneys Taking Case Evaluations For Those Who Experienced a Joint Infection After Knee Replacement or Hip Replacement Surgery – Get Your Free Evaluation Now!

The leading manufacturer of the Bair Hugger™ Warming Blanket, 3M™, is facing multiple lawsuits as a result of a study that links use of the device to patients’ onset of deep joint infection after a knee replacement or hip replacement procedure.

What Is a Forced Air Warming (FAW) Blanket? How Does It Work?

Surgeons understand that patients have far better outcomes to their surgeries if the patient is kept warm during the procedure, so a warming blanket was developed to achieve that goal without overly heating the operating room. The way a forced air blanket works is, heated air is pumped through chambers in the blanket to keep the patient warm. The Bair Hugger™ Warming Blanket is the most commonly used in hospitals today.

How Does The Bair Hugger™ Blanket Cause An Infection?

When in use, the Bair Hugger™ expels excess heated air below the surgery table, which stirs up germs and ‘contaminants’ below the table and the blanket. The machine also sucks up this new mixture of contaminants and disperses them into the blanket, and around the surgery site. During knee replacement or hip replacement surgeries, bacteria and other contaminants enter the surgery wound and cause a deep joint infection such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). So far, one patient has had to have his leg amputated at the knee as a result of a deep joint infection linked to a Bair Hugger™ warming blanket.

How Do We Know These Infections Are Linked To The Warming Blankets?

A study done by the Bone & Joint Journal was released in 2012 in which they measured contaminants during a mock procedure, using a mannequin under a warming blanket. What the study found was that there were up to 2,000 more contaminant particles dispersed around the surgery wound. The study concluded, based on it’s findings, that patients face a 74% increased risk of infection when a warming blanket is used during surgery.

Has Anything Been Done To Remedy This?

No. In fact, the inventor of the Bair Hugger™ blanket himself warned 3M™ about the risk of infection in 2010. This means that 3M™ knew the risks, but did nothing to modify the blanket’s design or use. This is why we are now accepting individual claims against 3M™ for anyone who developed a joint infection after knee replacement surgery or a hip replacement procedure. We have a team of Defective Medical Device attorneys that want to hold this manufacturer responsible for the way they knowingly put patients at risk of infection.

South Carolina Defective Medical Device Attorneys

The experienced defective medical device attorneys  of the Stampfle Law Firm are now offering a Free Consultation to anyone who developed an infection after a knee replacement procedure or hip replacement surgery. Because of the popularity of the Bair Hugger™ warming blanket’s use during these surgeries, there is a very good chance one of these devices was used during your surgery. We want to help you receive the compensation you deserve for this manufacturer’s carelessness. Click here to get your Free Consultation and get started today.