Score a victory for 3M in
Round 1 of what could be a
lengthy legal battle over
whether the Bair Hugger
forced-air patient warming
system caused infections
during joint replacement
surgery. In the first of
potentially thousands of
similar cases to go to trial
against 3M and its sub-
sidiary, Arizant, federal
jurors in Minneapolis ruled
that the Bair Hugger did not
cause a 76-year-old man's
surgical site infection dur-
ing his 2010 hip replace-
ment surgery.
More than 4,500 patients
across the country have filed lawsuits that claim waste heat pro-
duced by the Bair Hugger caused deep surgical site infections
during their orthopedic implant surgeries by blowing contami-
nants off of the floor and into their open wounds.
This initial verdict in the group of "bellwether" trials to be tried
could have widespread implications. The outcomes of bellwether
trials serve as a litmus test for how future litigation might turn
• ROUND ONE A federal jury decided the Bair Hugger was not
to blame for a patient's surgical site infection, but more than
4,500 plaintiffs have filed similar cases against 3M.
Bair Hugger Absolved in Forced-Air Warming
Bellwether Trial
BAIR HUGGER TRIAL
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
