Joanna Szabo  |  August 4, 2015

Category: Legal News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

knee surgery patientThe Bair Hugger warming system, a warming blanket that is used on patients during surgical procedures to regulate body temperature, has recently been connected to dangerous infections by plaintiffs in a number of product liability lawsuits. The system blows hot air at patients in an attempt to warm their bodies and keep them stable during surgeries.

The Bair Hugger has proven for years to have a profoundly positive impact on surgical procedures, in terms of properly regulating the patient’s body temperature. There is no denying the positive effects of the Bair Hugger for the past 25 years. However, until recently, the potential negative side effects of using the Bair Hugger warming system during surgery have not been explored.

A 2011 study published in the American Journal of Infection Control, found 58% of the forced-air warmers studied (including the Bair Hugger) produced and emitted airborne contaminants. Although the study did not determine whether the contaminants were viable, it observed that high levels of contamination are not necessary to cause an infection when dealing with a hip or knee replacement.

Another recent study published in Anesthesia & Analgesia states that “[F]orced air warming was found to establish convection currents that mobilized resident air from nonsterile areas (under the anesthesia drape) upward and into the surgical site.”

Patients have blamed the Bair Hugger warming system for knee replacement infections, among other things. Serious complications can even arise from something as simple as a routine knee replacement surgery. While some infections are, of course, treatable, others are antibiotic-resistant and life-threatening, such as MRSA (staphylococcus aureus).

At least one patient has reported a MRSA infection after a simple knee replacement surgery, and has tied the infection to the Bair Hugger, alleging there was no other way for bacteria to enter her surgical wounds in such a sterile environment.

This patient was given a 30% chance of survival, and has since had to undergo dozens of subsequent surgeries over the course of several years in an attempt to fight the knee replacement infection, finally resulting in a partial leg amputation. The patient is still not completely free of MRSA.

Multiple patients have reported contracting these kinds of life-threatening infections, and allege they were caused by the Bair Hugger. In the otherwise completely sterile environment of an operating room, these patients claim they cannot point to any other one thing that could cause their infections.

If you or someone you love has contracted a life-threatening infection after the Bair Hugger warming system was used during a procedure like knee replacement surgery, you may have a legal claim.

In general, Bair Hugger lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

Learn More

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


Get Help – It’s Free

Join a Free Bair Hugger Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or a loved one were injured by Bair Hugger complications, you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify to pursue compensation and join a free Bair Hugger class action lawsuit investigation by submitting your information for a free case evaluation.

An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case.

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.