A Missouri Bair Hugger lawsuit may be an option for patients who developed severe infections following surgical procedures that used the devices. Bair Hugger warming blankets are often used in some surgical procedures, including hip and joint replacements. However, some people allege that health problems such as infections may occur after certain operations as a result of the way devices are used, or even a defect in the products themselves. Affected patients and their families may be able to file a lawsuit and seek compensation with the help of a Missouri Bair Hugger lawsuit attorney.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Missouri. We offer free, confidential, no obligation consultations. We can help answer your questions, and if you choose to pursue a case we can connect you with an affiliated Missouri Bair Hugger lawsuit attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
Using General Anesthetic
Patients who are undergoing a surgery may feel themselves particularly vulnerable when they receive a general anesthetic. However, Medscape explains that the controlled paralysis and amnesia caused by the medication keeps the patient from trauma caused by feeling or remembering the surgery, as well as preventing serious physical reactions.
Although the anesthesia is necessary, certain unwanted consequences must be neutralized while a patient is under its effects. According to the National Institutes of Health, one of these is the body’s inability to maintain its core temperature, a factor that may lead to hypothermia while on the operating table. Patients suffering from this condition may lose more blood during surgery, and they are subject to an increased risk of infections and death.
What is a Bair Hugger Warming Blanket and How Does It Work?
Increasing the temperatures in the operating room to prevent patients from losing too much body heat has not proven to be an effective solution. The warmer rooms may negatively affect the alertness of surgeons and other personnel during the procedure. Perspiration may also become a factor in the successful completion of the operation, or may drip into the patient’s body cavity.
Infection Control Today reports that forced-air warming (FAW) devices such as the Bair Hugger warming blanket have been developed to solve this problem. Using a heating unit, Bair Hugger warming blankets collect operating room air and force the warmed air through a hose connected to a blanket draped over the patient. This keeps the body from becoming too cool without putting it at risk for overheating.
Bair Hugger Risks
Although convection warming devices have become common in operating rooms, many believe that the hoses sending the air through the blanket may be affecting the circulation of air in the room, particularly around patient incisions. Some contend that the result may be the introduction of bacteria to the open wound.
According to the Star Tribune, critics claim there is research indicating that patients may be subject to increased infection risk from contamination stirred up by the airflow of the machines. People who are undergoing orthopedic surgery, such as a hip replacement, allegedly may be more at risk of infections within the joints.
Missouri Bair Hugger Lawsuit Claims
According to an article published in Outpatient Surgery Magazine, allegations have been made against the manufacturer of the warming device, 3M Health Care. Such allegations state that the product’s normal function may have led directly to surgical site infections. Plaintiffs claim that the complications they suffered were caused by contaminants from the floor of the operating rooms that were caught up by the airflow and blown into their incisions during surgery. Patients maintain that the numerous follow-up surgeries necessary to treat the infection could have been avoided by using a different type of warming device.
As the number of lawsuits pending against the manufacturer of the Bair Hugger warming device continues to climb, the justice system has decided to centralize the cases and try them in a single federal district court. This process is known as multidistrict litigation, and it allows pretrial proceedings such as discovery to be expedited, so that a verdict may be reached more quickly.
How a Missouri Bair Hugger Lawsuit Can Help
Medical device makers have a duty to provide safe products. If there are risks of harm associated with their products, they also must provide adequate warnings. If a medical device maker fails to fulfill this duty, it could be held liable in lawsuits for injuries that may result.
People injured by Bair Hugger warming blankets may be eligible to recover money for:
- Medical Expenses
- Lost Wages
- Pain and Suffering
The families of those who have died may be eligible to recover money for funeral expenses and the pain that comes with losing a loved one.
The Time You Have to Pursue a Claim is Limited. Contact Us Today.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Missouri. You can fill out the form on this page or contact us by phone or email.
After you contact us, an attorney will follow up to answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.
Please note that the law limits the time you have to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit for an injury. If you think you have a case, you should not delay taking action.
