Surgical blankets cause surgical site infections

Bair Hugger is a manufacturer that produces heating blankets for patients. The blankets work by forcing hot air under a disposable blanket, keeping the patient warm. Unfortunately, over 900 plaintiffs allege that this process is easily contaminated and resulted in numerous surgical site infections. This post will go over the product and the nature of the lawsuits.

What began as a relatively small suit, a handful of plaintiffs, has ballooned with over 900 plaintiffs. Additionally, the court just authorized multi-district litigation. The plaintiffs claim that the device that forces hot air under the blanket sits on the floor. The result is that all of the infections on the floor are sucked up and forced under the blanket.

An interesting note, in this case, the plaintiffs are not suing the doctors who used the blanket. You may ask, why not? Isn't a surgical site infection the bread and butter of medical malpractice? Normally, you would be right, however, these blankets are accepted throughout the medical industry, therefore, a doctor who relies on one is not committing malpractice.

It also appears that Bair Hugger was warned of the potential dangers and failed to issue public warnings to doctors, hospitals or consumers. It is on the basis of that prior knowledge that many of these claims turn.

If you believe you suffered a consumer injury due to a defectively designed product, then you may want to call an attorney. A lawyer can go over the facts of your situation and help you determine the best course to pursue compensation. Defectively designed products range anywhere from medical devices to cars. Unfortunately, until humans are removed from the design and production process, defective products will always exist in the market. That doesn't mean you don't deserve compensation for your injuries.