Missouri Appeals Court upholds trial victory for Bair Hugger system

On June 18, 2024, a Missouri state appellate court upheld 3M’s trial victory in O’Haver v. 3M.

The Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District unanimously rejected all nine arguments raised by the Plaintiff on appeal. O’Haver was one of two cases involving the Bair Hugger system that have gone to trial. 3M won both and appellate courts have now upheld both verdicts.

Bill Childs, Assistant General Counsel and Head of Litigation for Solventum, formerly 3M Health Care, commented, “We are confident in our product and our case, and we look forward to continuing our successful defense in upcoming trials so that patients continue to receive the care they need.”

The Bair Hugger warming technology has benefitted more than 400 million patients globally and has been safely used during surgical procedures to improve post-surgical health outcomes. Scientific research supports the conclusion that the Bair Hugger system helps patients by maintaining normothermia, which is shown to provide valuable benefits, including reducing the risk of surgical site infections, reduced mortality, fewer post-operative heart attacks, reduced blood loss and faster recovery times. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to health care providers recommending that they use patient warming devices for surgical procedures when clinically warranted. The FDA’s recommendation includes forced-air warming devices such as the Bair Hugger system.

Formerly 3M Health Care Business, Solventum (NYSE:SOLV) enables better, smarter, safer healthcare to improve lives. See how at Solventum.com