Bair Hugger Warming Blankets FAQ

Bair Hugger Warming Blankets are medical devices that help patients maintain their temperature and circulation while recovering from surgery. Hospitals use Bair Hugger Warming Blankets before, during, and after surgery to aid in recovery. Unfortunately, Bair Hugger Warming Blankets have caused some patients serious personal injuries.

If you have suffered a serious personal injury caused by Bair Hugger Warming Blankets, you might be entitled to compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. Our law firm has helped many clients recover compensation related to injuries. The sooner you contact an experienced personal injury lawyer, the better. Contact us today to schedule your free initial consultation with one of our experienced lawyers. Below you will find some of the most common questions regarding Bair Hugger lawsuits.

  1. Why do Doctors and Surgeons Use the Bair Hugger Warming Blankets?
  2. Why do Doctors Use Bair Hugger Warming Blankets?
  3. What do Bair Hugger Warming Blankets do?
  4. What are Known Issues Associated With Warming Blankets?
  5. What are the Risks of Warming Blankets?
  6. What if Doctors Cannot Cure a Serious Infection Caused by Warming Blankets?
  7. What Are the Symptoms of an Infection Caused by Bair Hugger Warming Blanket Infection
  8. What are the Extreme Injuries Caused by Warming Blankets
1. Why do Doctors and Surgeons Use the Bair Hugger Warming Blankets?

Doctors use these systems before, during, and after surgery to keep the patient's body temperature steady and within a safe range.

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2. Why do Doctors Use Bair Hugger Warming Blankets?

When a patient is under anesthesia, his or her body can cool too much, creating complications. By maintaining steady body temperature, the doctor can reduce swelling and bleeding. It can also shorten a patient's recovery time after the surgery. Bair Hugger Warming blankets can improve a patient's outcome by a significant amount.

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3. What do Bair Hugger Warming Blankets do?

These blankets use a hybrid design that allows forced heated air to be blown into a plastic blanket. The plastic blanket provides the patient with a warm covering that helps him or her keep his body temperature within a safe range. There are two components of Bair Hugger Warming blankets, a reusable part, and a disposable part.

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4. What are Known Issues Associated With Warming Blankets?

There have been more and more problems with warming blankets lately. These devices are known to cause infections that can invade at the surgical site. Some people believe that the hygienic ventilation system can spread contamination by kicking contaminated dust and tiny particles in the room. These particles can hover over the open incision of the patient.

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5. What are the Risks of Warming Blankets?

When a surgeon opens up the knee or hip area during a procedure, bacteria can land inside the site of the surgery. After the surgeon closes the surgical site, the harmful bacteria can begin settling and thriving. Common infections include Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, sepsis, and staph infections. All of these infections are resistant to antibiotics.

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6. What if Doctors Cannot Cure a Serious Infection Caused by Warming Blankets?

Have you discovered that you have a serious infection after your surgery? It might be possible that you developed the infection from the warming blanket used in your surgery. Infections can quickly spread and become difficult to combat. Medical treatment for serious joint infections usually includes the following:

  • Perform a surgical procedure that will diffuse the implanted joint that has just been placed
  • Removing the newly implanted joint device
  • Make a patient undergo several different surgeries in order to revise the artificial joint device
  • In severe cases of infection, the doctor might need to amputate the infected limb above the infection site
  • If the patient is not a good candidate for replacing a joint, then doctors might choose to treat the infection with long-term antibiotics.
  • When a patient becomes sepsis, it is possible that he or she will die from the infection

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7. What Are the Symptoms of an Infection Caused by Bair Hugger Warming Blanket Infection

Infections often show various symptoms on the outside of the skin that can include redness, tenderness, swelling, and delayed healing. If you have suffered an infection after your surgery, you might feel the following types of symptoms:

  • Swelling
  • Fatigue
  • Stiffness
  • Severe pain
  • Night sweats
  • Drainage of the infected wound site
  • Chills
  • Fever

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8. What are the Extreme Injuries Caused by Warming Blankets

In extreme cases, Bair Hugger Warming Blankets can cause infections that are so severe that the patient needs an amputation of a limb for survival. In many cases, when a hip becomes severely infected, surgeons need to remove the leg and hip joint. When an incurable and life-threatening knee infection happens, surgeons must remove the lower leg and the knee joint.

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When can I File a Lawsuit?

If you have had to have an artificial device removed or replaced due to an infection, or if you have had an amputation due to an infection, you might have a valid lawsuit against the manufacturer of Blair Warming Blankets. Contact Arnold & Smith, PLLC as soon as possible to schedule your initial consultation.

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