A new Bair Hugger lawsuit was recently filed by a Michigan resident alleging they suffered serious post-surgical complications as a direct result of the device. This Bair Hugger lawsuit is joining a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) filed against Arizant HealthCare Inc. and 3M Company consisting of similar claims alleging deep joint infection.

Plaintiff Stoney S. is filing this Bair Hugger lawsuit after discovering this forced air warming device was linked to serious deep joint infections that developed after surgery. The Bair Hugger is a forced air warming device consisting of a disposable blanket and hose that is connected to a portable heater which blows hot air over the patient.

This medical device is used to regulate body temperature while under anesthesia and is supposed to help improve the recovery process and reduce bleeding. The Bair Hugger has been on the market since 1988, and has been used in countless surgeries.

However, recent product liability claims have alleged that patients who underwent some kind of joint replacement surgery developed serious post-surgical infections. Stoney was allegedly one of these patients, with the Bair Hugger lawsuit alleging a deep joint infection developed as a direct result of using the device.

According to the claim, Stoney underwent surgery in April 2015 and developed deep joint infection not long after. During the surgery, Stoney claims, the surgical site was directly exposed to airborne bacteria that was allegedly gathered and blown from the Bair Hugger warming device.

Due to the complications of deep joint infection, Stoney eventually had to undergo revision surgery in May 2015 and has since been in the recovery process.

Overview of Bair Hugger Complications

Recent studies have linked the Bair Hugger and other forced air warming devices to deep joint infections, with one 2011 study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. The study found that 58 percent of forced air warmers, the Bair Hugger included, had produced airborne contaminants.

Other studies state that Bair Hugger devices can potentially cause a temperature difference in the room, which can cause convection currents. Researchers believe these currents can collect air from non-sterile areas, and can blow this contaminated air onto open surgical wounds.

Essentially, plaintiffs like Stoney claim the Bair Hugger warming device could blow contaminated air onto patients with open surgical wounds and can potentially cause deep joint infection.

According to the complaint, Stoney and the medical professionals involved in the surgery relied on the marketing statements made by 3M Company and Arizant HealthCare. These marketing statements allegedly presented the Bair Hugger warming device as a safe and effective device used for maintaining a healthy body temperature while under anesthesia. Stoney claims the manufacturing companies either knew or should have known about the potential risk and should have better disclosed it to patients and physicians.

According to the Bair Hugger lawsuit, the plaintiff states they would not have agreed to have the Bair Hugger used during the surgery if the risk of deep joint infection was disclosed.

Stoney’s Bair Hugger lawsuit is being filed in MDL No. 2666, consisting of other claims alleging deep joint infection.

This Bair Hugger lawsuit is Case No. 0:18-cv-00930-JNE-FLN, in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota.