Bair Hugger Lawsuit
Medical Studies
Studies of Bair Hugger Surgical Blanket
Medical studies have confirmed that forced-air warming systems like the Bair Hugger increase the risk of serious infections during surgery, including articles published in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, Journal of Anesthesia and Surgery, Annals of Medicine and Surgery, Journal of Hospital Infection, and the Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery. For example, a study published in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery reported a near four-fold increase in infections when devices like the Bair Hugger are used in operating rooms.
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Use of the Bair Hugger surgical blanket circulates bacteria-ridden particles from the ground over the surgical site, according to a peer-reviewed paper by Dr. Said Elghobashi, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Elghobashi and his team performed a computational fluid dynamics study to determine the effect of the Bair Hugger in a standard operating room. The study was performed on the Stampede Supercomputer in Austin, Texas, and took more than 2 million computing hours. The results demonstrate that when turned on, heat from the Bair Hugger carries bacteria ridden particles from the ground over the surgical site. The peer reviewed published paper as well as videos demonstrating the effect of the Bair Hugger when it is off verses when it is turned on can be viewed here.
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- Lange – Nov. 2021 – "Forced Air Contamination Risk in the OR." This study found that forced-air systems like the Bair Hugger may contribute to greater environmental bacterial load and infection risk in the operating room.
- Anesthesiology Magazine – Mar. 2021 – Stanford University researchers found that the Bair Hugger blanket created bacteria colony counts that were significantly higher than room air.
- McGovern – Nov. 2011 – "Forced-Air Warming and Ultra-Clean Ventilation Do Not Mix." This study documented a significant increase in deep-joint infection when forced-air warming was used in the operating room.
“This video was created, produced and incorporated as a part of the peer-reviewed paper McGovern and others published with JBJS (UK) in 2011”
- Legg2 – March 2013 – "Forced Air Patent-Warming Blankets Disrupt Unidirectional Airflow." This study found that a forced-air blanket created convection currents that increased the particle concentration 1000-fold compared to radiant warming.
- IJNMBME Paper – December 2017 – "Effect of Heated-Air Blanket on the Dispersion of Squames in an Operating Room." This study found that forced-air warming blankets disrupted airflow significantly in the operating room.
- Mehta -- 2018 – "Comparison of Forced Air and Conductive Heating Systems during Outpatient Orthopedic Surgeries." This study found forced air systems cause more contamination than conductive heating systems when used in outpatient orthopedic surgeries.
- Stanford – April 2021 – Potential Sources for Operating Room Air Contamination: A Preliminary Study." This study found that the Bair Hugger could be a source of airborne microbial contamination in the OR.
- Legg1 – Nov. 2016 – "Do Forced Air Patient-Warming Devices Disrupt Unidirectional Downward Airflow?" This study found that forced air warming significantly increased the number of airborne particles over the surgical site compared to radiant warming or the control.
- Uggen – February 2020 – "Just Getting Warmed Up: Risks, Benefits, and Economics of Active Warming Devices." This report highlighted recent studies and findings about health risks associated with forced air systems.
See If You Have a Case
Infections that occur during surgery can cause serious medical complications, including septic arthritis. In some cases, a patient may need surgery to remove the implant and the infection. In rare cases, the infection can result in amputation.
If you have experienced medical complications after a surgical procedure in which a Bair Hugger blanket was used, you may be entitled to compensation.
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