greatest is that it staves off surgical wound infections. But what if the
very act of forced-air warming causes SSIs?
You've no doubt heard the claims … or seen the ads from law firms
trolling for clients: Besides blowing hot air, forced-air warming units
stir up the germs from the floor and cause them to go airborne. The
jetstream of germs, the notion goes, rises alongside the table and set-
tles over the surface of knee or hip implants in the sterile field. The
germs can take root in the wounds and cause debilitating infections,
especially in patients undergoing deep joint surgery. Not everyone is
buying this (Bunch of) Hot Air Theory.
"Commercially driven junk science that has no basis in reality what-
soever," says an observer.
3M's lawyers say no reputable study has proven that forced-air
warmers contaminate the air when they vent their waste heat. Just the
opposite is true, they say. Decades of research and clinical experience
show that using forced-air to maintain normal body temperature helps
reduce the risk of infections and improves surgical outcomes.
"Forced air is highly effective, easy to use, inexpensive and remark-
ably safe," says anesthesiologist Daniel Sessler, MD, who has
researched forced-air warming extensively as chair of the department
of outcomes research at the Cleveland Clinic.
3M, which acquired the Bair Hugger as part of its acquisition of
Arizant in 2010, is battling lawsuits from more than 50 orthopedic sur-
gery patients who claim that Bair Hugger warming blankets circulated
contaminants and caused their SSIs. Plaintiffs' attorneys are angling
for a national suit with thousands of plaintiffs.
"3M will vigorously defend the product and the science against
these unwarranted lawsuits," says 3M spokeswoman Donna Fleming
Runyon. "We think it's unfortunate that the plaintiffs' attorneys are
using bad science to blame their clients' infections on a device that
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