Defective Design In Bair Hugger Blankets

As attorneys who handle defective medical product claims, we meet a lot of people who were injured by a medical device. Maybe the device simply malfunctioned, was administered improperly, or maybe there was a defect in the design. The latter category defines the Bair Hugger Surgical Warming Blanket.

What is a Bair Hugger?

Medical experts discovered that surgery patients tend to have far fewer complications, and a far better chance of survival, if they are kept warm during surgery. Warming the entire operating room would make the climate uncomfortable for the doctors, nurses, and other people inside, so a plan was put in place to keep the patient warm by way of a blanket. The Bair Hugger Blanket is a Forced Air Warming (FAW) device that pumps warm air into chambers of the blanket to keep the patient warm.

 

Design Flaw Causing Deep Joint Infections In Patients

The Bair Hugger is the most widely used warming blanket on the market today. According to the blanket’s inventor, there is a serious flaw in the design of the blanket. The device sucks ambient air in, warms it, pumps the warmed air into the blanket, and expels excess air into the operating room. The problem is, that when the Bair Hugger device sucks in more air to be warmed, it also sucks in contaminants. When these contaminants, sometimes including infectious germs, are dispersed, they can enter the surgery wound, causing an infection. This has been the case in numerous hip replacement and knee replacement surgeries.

Contact The Olinde Firm For Legal Representation

The Olinde Firm is not afraid to take on large pharmaceutical corporations or medical device manufacturers to get justice for our clients. If you suffered a joint infection after Hip Replacement or Knee Replacement surgery, a Bair Hugger blanket may have been used. Contact our firm today to discuss your legal rights to compensation for any injuries sustained as a result of the Bair Hugger Warming Blanket being used during your surgery.