Manufacturing companies 3M Company and Arizant Healthcare Inc. are facing a new Bair Hugger lawsuit from a Kentucky couple alleging deep joint infection.

The Bair Hugger lawsuit alleges the plaintiff had undergone surgery that had utilized the forced air warming system which allegedly resulted in a deep joint infection.

Plaintiff couple David and Darlene M. are jointly filing this Bair Hugger lawsuit, alleging David sustained chronic complications after using the warming blanket.

After undergoing a prosthetic surgery on Feb. 02, 2016, in which a Bair Hugger system was used, David reportedly developed a deep joint infection and had to contend with an intense treatment process to resolve the condition.

As a result of the deep joint infection allegedly caused by the Bair Hugger warming blanket, David had to undergo additional surgery to clean the infection and insert a spacer.

In addition, David had to undergo revision surgery to place the prosthetic in April and July 2016 respectively. The Bair Hugger blanket was used during David’s initial prosthetic surgery to regulate his body temperature, which was meant to help with quicker recovery.

Instead, the device compounded David’s condition, with the couple alleging the manufacturing companies knew the risks associated with their product but failed to warn them against deep joint infection.

Possible Bair Hugger Deep Joint Infection Complications

Bair Hugger warming blankets have been on the market since 1988, and have been popularly used throughout the years for patients undergoing hip replacement or knee replacement surgery.

By regulating the patient’s body temperature during anesthesia, the chances of bleeding are reduced and quickens the recovery process.

The Bair Hugger is a disposable blanket that is connected to a portable heater, which blows hot air onto the patient’s skin during surgery. However it has been alleged that forced air may allow bacterial cells to be spread around and into the surgical site, which puts patients at risk for deep joint infection.

A 2011 study published in the American Journal of Infection Control found 58% of forced air warming blankets studied had emitted airborne bacteria.

Even though this is a dangerous complication, 3M and Arizant Healthcare allegedly failed to warn patients and the medical community against deep joint infection.

David and Darlene’s Bair Hugger lawsuit was filed into a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) joining other claiming alleging similar injuries.

The Bair Hugger Deep Joint Infection Lawsuit is Case No. 0:16-cv-03290, in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota.