Bair Hugger Warming Blanket Lawsuits Allege The Device Contaminates Surgical Sites And Causes Patients To Develop Serious Infections.
Nearly two months after a multidistrict litigation was established for federal Bair Hugger Warming Blanket lawsuits, attorneys for plaintiffs and defendants will meet for their first pretrial conference on February 18th. The Bair Hugger lawsuits against 3M Company and its Arizant Healthcare subsidiary, commonly allege that Bair Hugger warming blankets used when patients undergo a hip or knee replacement contaminates the sterile surgical site and cause patients to develop post-operative, drug resistant infections such as sepsis, and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that can lead to revision surgeries or amputation.
In December, a federal judicial panel consolidated Bair Hugger Forced Air Warming Blanket lawsuits in the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota for pretrial purposes. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation granted the request of plaintiffs who maintained the cases should be centralized because hundreds of similar Bair Hugger cases could be filed in federal courts nationwide due to the widespread use of the warming blankets in hospitals across the country. U.S. District Court Judge Joan N. Ericksen issued Pretrial Order No. 1 on January 13th that outlined the procedure for moving the litigation forward. The Pretrial Order directed attorneys for plaintiffs and defendants to make recommendations for leadership positions in the litigation. The order also called for all Bair Hugger cases already in the discovery process to be suspended pending the initial conference. (In re: Bair Hugger Forced Air Warming Devices Products Liability Litigation – MDL No. 15-2666)
“As organizational procedures continue for the Bair Hugger litigation, our Firm is currently evaluating potential Bair Hugger lawsuits on behalf of patients who suffered an infection after undergoing a joint replacement surgery,” says Dr. François Blaudeau, the founder of Southern Med Law.
To speak to the Bair Hugger Lawsuit Attorneys at Southern Med Law for a free legal consultation, please call the Firm at 205-547-5525 or visit www.southernmedlaw.com and fill out the form on our website.
The 3M Bair Hugger forced air warming blankets are popular devices used during surgical procedures to maintain a patient’s body temperature. Filtered air flows through a warming unit to gently and evenly disperse the air throughout a disposable blanket, according to 3M. The blanket is isolated from the surgical site by an adhesive strip on the blanket and surgical barrier drape. The federal Bair Hugger claims assert that the warming blanket has a design flaw that allows it to lift bacteria from the operating room floor and into the sterile surgical site. The contamination can cause patients receiving artificial joints to develop dangerous post-operative infections at the implant site. In many cases, patients underwent additional hospitalizations and surgery, including revision of their hip or knee replacement.
The federal Bair Hugger warming blanket lawsuits against 3M Company and Arizant contend the companies knew or should have known about the risks associated with their warming blanket but failed to warn the medical community. One lawsuit recently filed in the Bair Hugger litigation alleges that a New Mexico woman suffered a deep joint infection in her left knee and was diagnosed with an MRSA infection after a warming blanket was used during her knee replacement surgery in December 2012. As a result of the infection, the woman had to undergo six revision surgeries, and now suffers from chronic knee pain and cannot walk without assistance, the complaint said. (Case No. 0:16-cv-00005)
About Southern Med Law And Filing A Bair Hugger Lawsuit: Southern Med Law is an experienced law firm providing legal representation to the men and women across the country who have been victims of negligent personal injuries, medical malpractice, dangerous drugs, faulty medical devices and defective products. Led by Dr. François Blaudeau, an attorney and a practicing obstetrician/ gynecologist, the legal staff at Southern Med Law possesses a deep understanding of the complex medical and legal questions at issue in all manner of product liability and personal injury claims. They’re not afraid to take on the nation’s largest corporations in their pursuit of justice, and are committed to ensuring that all victims have access to the type of aggressive legal advocacy that assures success.
Contact:
Southern Med Law
François M. Blaudeau, MD JD FACHE FCLM Esquire
2224 1st Avenue North
Birmingham, Alabama 35203
Phone: 205-547-5525
Fax: 205-547-5526
francois@sml-legal.i-mlaw.com
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