A Texas resident recently filed a Bair Hugger lawsuit against 3M Company, alleging that the product’s defective design has caused the plaintiff suffering and permanent injuries.

Plaintiff Tawas R. underwent right hip replacement surgery in 2014, when the Bair Hugger warming system was used on him.

The Bair Hugger lawsuit alleges that the use of the warming device during surgery introduced contaminants into his open surgical wound, which led directly to a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection.

Tawas’ infection allegedly necessitated two more surgical procedures to first remove the implant, and then clean the infected area within a period of nine months after the original surgery.

As a result of the use of the Bair Hugger, the infection, and the subsequent medical procedures, the Bair Hugger lawsuit claims that Tawas suffers from substantial physical damages including impaired mobility, which makes even walking around difficult for him.

According to the Bair Hugger lawsuit, these damages are not temporary – as Tawas will continue to be affected by these injuries for the rest of his life.

Tawas filed this Bair Hugger lawsuit on multiple counts, including negligence, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, and fraudulent concealment, among a number of others.

The Bair Hugger lawsuit claims that 3M Company was aware of the Bair Hugger’s unreasonably dangerous risks, but chose to conceal the risks and that the company has been aware of their product’s risk of pathogenic contamination since at least 2009. Despite these known risks, the company continued to aggressively market the product as safe and effective during surgeries.

While 3M Company claims that the Bair Hugger’s filtration system meets High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Standards, which require that the filter can remove 99.97 percent of particles larger than 0.3 microns, the Bair Hugger can only remove less than 65 percent of these particles, the Bair Hugger lawsuit alleges.

According to the Bair Hugger lawsuit, the risks of exposure to contaminants during surgery with a Bair Hugger exist for thousands of people, considering that more than 50,000 Bair Hugger units are in use across the United States.

Bair Hugger Lawsuits

Plaintiffs involved in Bair Hugger lawsuits across the country allege that the Bair Hugger, used to warm patients during surgery, actually exposes patients to contaminants in the room by blowing hot air on exposed surgical sites.

The air currents allegedly sweep up and deposit bacteria from the floor, blowing them directly into the surgical site and allowing for severe infections which can cause permanent damage.

Many injured parties are coming forward with allegations of the Bair Hugger product causing serious and sometimes permanent infection and injury during surgeries.

These plaintiffs hope to gain some kind of financial compensation in return for their physical, emotional, and financial suffering felt as a result of the use of the Bair Hugger device.

If you or someone you know has suffered from infection or injury after undergoing a surgery where a Bair Hugger warming system was used, you may have cause to file a Bair Hugger lawsuit.

The Bair Hugger Lawsuit is Case No. 0:15-cv-03143-SRN-JSM, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.