Raizner Slania LLP has filed a Bair Hugger staph infection suit on behalf of an Indiana couple after the husband suffered a severe infection from the device. The couple believes the Bair Hugger device is defective in its design and manufacture.
In January 2017, the plaintiff underwent a surgery in which the Bair Hugger warming blanket was used throughout the procedure to regulate his body temperature. Without temperature regulation, most patients would experience hypothermia during surgery, which increases bleeding risks and lengthens hospital stays. While utilizing a Bair Hugger can help decrease these risks, the design of the device exposes patients to serious infection risks. The Bair Hugger works by taking air from the operating room, heating it up, and dispersing it over the patient. This air cycling allows contaminants to be introduced to a patient’s open surgical wound.
As a direct result of using the Bair Hugger, contaminants were introduced into the plaintiff’s open surgical wound, causing him to develop a deep joint infection. The pathogen identified was staphylococcus aureus. Most people know staphylococcus aureus as the common Staph infection. While Staph bacteria is present on the skin of approximately one-third of the population, a Staph infection in an artificial joint is much more rare and a lot more dangerous. Staph infections in artificial joints are incredibly difficult to treat and can cause a number of serious conditions, including sepsis and pneumonia.
In order to treat the infection caused by the Bair Hugger, the plaintiff was forced to undergo extensive medical treatment, including multiple multi-staged revision surgeries including insertion and removal of multiple antibiotic spacers, single staged revision surgery including arthrotomy with polyethylene exchange, PICC line antibiotics, long-term antibiotic therapy, and physical therapy.
The plaintiff not only endured pain and suffering, but also suffered economically with the extensive bills from the treatments. The couple believes 3M and Arizant failed to warn them of the infection risks associated with the Bair Hugger device and committed consumer fraud and/or unfair and deceptive trade practices under Utah law.
Get Help With Your Bair Hugger Staph Infection Claim
If you or someone you love underwent a hip or knee joint surgery within the last five years and developed a staph infection, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit. The experienced defective device attorneys at Raizner Slania LLP can help you with your Bair Hugger Staph infection claim. Call us today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.
