The 3M™ Bair Hugger™ warming system’s technology has been used successfully in more than 170 studies and more than 60 randomized controlled clinical trials. Its ability to maintain normal body temperature can provide a range of benefits, from lower mortality rates to shorter hospital stays. None of the studies directly link surgical site infections to the Bair Hugger system and none of the studies show that the Bair Hugger system has ever caused a surgical site infection.

1. 3M™Bair Hugger™ Facts

2. What is the 3M™Bair Hugger™?
• The Bair Hugger warming system is used
by more than 80 percent of U.S. hospitals
to keep patients warm before, during, and
after surgery.
• The Bair Hugger warming system draws in
the filtered air of the operating room,
passes it through an internal filter and
warms that air to the selected
temperature.
• The warmed air flows to a single-use Bair
Hugger warming blanket through an
enclosed hose, and is then gently
dispersed across the surface of the skin.
• Contrary to claims from a competitor, the
Bair Hugger system does not disrupt the
air flow in the operating room.

3. Attacks against 3M™Bair Hugger™
• A competitor that sells a different type of warming device claims the Bair
Hugger system can cause air movements that could allow microorganisms
to infect patients. There is absolutely no proof of that.
• By raising doubts, the competitor hopes to sell more of his warming
devices.
• He also is working with lawyers to try and blame the Bair Hugger system
for infections suffered by patients during surgery.
• 3M, which makes the Bair Hugger warming system, takes every allegation
of patient injury seriously.
• 3M does not believe there is merit to any of the lawsuits it has evaluated.
None of the claims have yet made it to trial.
• 3M is confident that the science will show the Bair Hugger system is not
the cause of these surgical site infections.

4. Does the 3M™Bair Hugger™ cause infections?
• No. There is no evidence that the Bair Hugger system’s forced-air warming
causes infections.
• According to www.bairhuggerfacts.com scientific literature suggests that
maintaining normal body temperature during surgery can have numerous
benefits that include a reduction in the rate of postoperative infections,
reduced blood loss, a reduction in the possibility of heart attacks, shorter
recovery times and lower mortality rates.
• The Bair Hugger system is a safe and effective method of maintaining
normal body temperature during surgery.
• Any advertisements suggesting otherwise are wrong and misleading

5. What causes a surgical site infection?
• Many factors can cause a surgical site infection. Everyone has bacteria in
their bodies. The majority of surgical site infections come from the
patient’s own bacteria.
• When the skin is opened, bacteria in the body can migrate to the surgical
wound.
• A number of factors are known to increase the risk of surgical site
infections, including having other medical problems or diseases such as
diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease, being elderly, or
overweight and smoking.

6. How does the 3M™Bair Hugger™ help prevent
surgical infections?
• A widely accepted practice for reducing the risk of infection is to maintain
a surgical patient’s core body temperature greater than 96.8° F
throughout the surgical procedure.
• Keeping people warm during surgery can, in fact, reduce the risk of
infections, reduce the length of hospital stays and improve overall
outcomes from surgery.
• Numerous healthcare professional organizations have recommended the
use of forced-air warming to safely and effectively maintain a patient’s
normal body temperature during surgery.

7. Learn the Truth: Bair Hugger Therapy is safe and
effective
• The 3M™ Bair Hugger™ warming system’s technology has been used in more than
170 studies and more than 60 randomized controlled clinical trials. Its ability to
maintain normal body temperature can provide a range of benefits, from lower
mortality rates to shorter hospital stays.
• Plaintiff lawyers suing 3M and the Bair Hugger warming system cite several studies
in their lawsuits. These studies suggest that, in theory, the heat generated by the
Bair Hugger system could affect air flow in the operating room.
• It’s important to know that the majority of these studies were associated with
Scott Augustine and his company, Augustine Biomedical + Design, a competitor in
the patient-warming space. Mark Albrecht, one of the researchers on six of the
eight studies, worked for Augustine at the time.
• Plaintiff lawyers also do not mention some crucial facts: None of the studies
directly link surgical site infections to the Bair Hugger system; none of them show
that the Bair Hugger system has ever caused a surgical site infection.
• A respected independent research group, ECRI, examined the scientific literature
and determined that the evidence does not justify discontinuing the use of Bair
Hugger warming technology. ECRI also chastised Augustine Temperature
Management for mischaracterizing the results of the review.

8. Resources
www.fawfacts.com
www.safepatientwarming.com