Bair Hugger Warming Blanket

Recent studies have suggested that the 3M Bair Hugger warming blanket could be responsible for an increased risk of deep joint infections [including MRSA and nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections “NMI”], during knee & hip replacement surgeries in the past 10 years.

The Bair warming blanket is used to warm the patient during long surgeries to prevent hypothermia. The blanket is put over the patient’s body. The mechanism of action involves the blanket’s pressurized air which causes heat currents to form due to the waste heat emitted from the machine. The forced air warming blanket pushes warm air downward, over the patient’s body & also that same warm air is pushed down to the unsterile floor of the operating room bed where it then rises again. The cool, laminar flow air which is coming from the ceiling downwards is disrupted and the warm air rises & circulates from the unsterile floor over the body – circulating contaminated air from the operating room floor over the open wounds.
Most hip & knee surgeries use the Bair Hugger & the patient does not even know. Infections such as MRSA can lead to multiple surgeries and even amputations.
Most notably, the inventor of the Bair Hugger, Dr Scott D. Augustine, has vehemently campaigned against the usage of his invention during surgery. He claims that the device may lead to bacteria spreading & causing infections, and therefore he believes his invention is no longer safe for use during surgery.

A multidistrict litigation [MDL] was formed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in Dec. 2015.
We are currently accepting cases where the patient has had a knee or hip replacement after 2009 with the development of a deep tissue/joint infection causing subsequent revision surgery. If you, a friend or loved one has met this criteria, please contact us for a free case evaluation because your time is limited to file a claim.