A Washington Bair Hugger lawsuit may be an option for patients who experienced severe infection following joint replacement surgery. Bair Hugger warming blankets are often used to regulate patient body temperature and reduce the risk of infection during certain surgical procedures, including hip replacements and heart surgery. However, some patients claim that the blanket has led to serious complications such as severe surgical site infection. Affected patients and their families may be eligible to file a Washington Bair Hugger lawsuit and pursue compensation for their injuries.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Washington. 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 Bair Hugger lawsuit attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
What is a Bair Hugger Warming Blanket and How Does It Work?
Invented by Dr. Scott D. Augustine in 1987, Bair Hugger warming blankets are most commonly used to regulate patient body temperature and prevent unintended hypothermia in patients who undergo surgical procedures.
The Bair Hugger blanket is a type of forced-air warming (FAW) system consisting of a heater and blower connected by a flexible hose to a disposable, single-use blanket that is positioned over or under surgical patients. The heater/blower pulls the surrounding air into the heating element, heats the air, and sends the air through the hose to the blanket. The heated air warms the patients and exits the blanket through tiny perforations on the underside of the blanket.
Hypothermia Risks in the Operating Room
The National Center for Biotechnology Information states that a study found that not only are cold surgical patients distinctly uncomfortable during a procedure in which they may already be feeling some discomfort, but their low body temperature can actually lead to serious ill effects and even death in extreme cases. Unintended perioperative hypothermia is the clinical term for the cold body temperature that occurs in up to 20 percent of patients undergoing an operation.
However, the chances of this hypothermic condition occurring could be reduced with just half an hour of a patient being warmed in some way. Because surgical patients are generally under some degree of anesthesia, they are unable to control their own body heat in the way that they normally would.
Bair Hugger Lawsuits Filed
Among products specifically designed to prevent perioperative hypothermia before, during and after surgery, the Bair Hugger device is the most widely used product on the market, according to 3M, the device’s manufacturer. Claims made about the Bair Hugger include the fact that it has been tested and researched more than any other heating unit and has a proven track record of safety.
However, some patients disagree. They claim that the device is not safe and that it is responsible for the infections they developed. As such, they are filing lawsuits against the manufacturer. One Texas man states that the unit’s poor air circulation method created a bacterial infection during his operation that may have led to the subsequent surgeries that he ended up needing.
Another surgical patient, a woman from Louisiana, is also taking legal action against the makers of the Bair Hugger, stating that the air that the device used as part of its forced warming technology was contaminated with bacterial particles that caused her to develop a severe infection. As a result of this issue, the patient claims that she deals with chronic physical debilitation and suffering as a result of the warming blanket being used in her surgery. Consequently, she is suing the Bair Hugger manufacturers for willful neglect and irresponsibility in manufacturing a device that she claims they knew functioned in a faulty and potentially dangerous manner.
How a Washington 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 product 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 Washington. 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.
