Latest Updates about 3M™ Bair Hugger™ Therapy
June 7, 2017
Four new medical papers published this year debunk claims that forced-air warming systems cause surgical site infections. The papers – all published in respected medical journals – reinforce the long-held contention by medical experts that the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ patient warming system does not lead to an increase in surgical site infections. The Bair Hugger system has been used more than 200 million times in the […]
May 17, 2017
You may have seen recent advertisements or emails from Augustine Temperature Management, a 3M competitor that has worked with plaintiffs’ lawyers to attack 3M and its health-care provider partners. The advertisement continues a pattern of attacks by Augustine Temperature Management on the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ warming system. It is important to understand that Augustine Temperature Management is the principal architect of the litigation against 3M and […]
May 4, 2017
Forced-air warming and conductive blankets are different products, court says The court overseeing the lawsuits against the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ warming device ruled that plaintiffs’ lawyers are not entitled to documents about another warming system that 3M distributes because they are not relevant to the case. Plaintiffs’ lawyers had argued that VitaHEAT’s UB3 patient warming system, for which 3M is the exclusive distributor, is a “safer […]
April 19, 2017
Competitor who engineered lawsuits couldn’t prove his own theory Newly discovered documents and testimony reveal that medical researchers bankrolled by 3M competitor Scott Augustine tried and failed in efforts to show that the Bair Hugger warming system increased the amount of bacteria around an operating table. The blockbuster evidence once again confirms what 3M and its legal team have been arguing: There is no proof that […]
March 19, 2017
Dozens of plaintiffs drop claims before key deadline Dozens of plaintiffs are dropping their lawsuits against 3M™ and its Bair Hugger™ warming device in advance of a deadline that requires them to provide facts about their claims.To date, 50 plaintiffs with claims in the federal MDL have voluntarily asked to dismiss their cases. Throughout the prolonged smear campaign against its Bair Hugger system, 3M has been […]
March 17, 2017
3M competitor Scott Augustine testified that he helped engineer the first personal injury lawsuits against the 3M Bair Hugger warming device. Scott Augustine, CEO of Augustine Temperature Management, testified in a sworn statement to a Minnesota federal court, that he hired Houston law firm Kennedy Hodges LLP in July 2009, more than six years before the first lawsuits were filed against 3M. Augustine acknowledged that he […]
March 11, 2017
Guess how many scientific studies prove that the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ Patient Warming System can cause surgical site infections? Zero. None. Nada. Now, guess how many publications show proven benefits of patient warming? Dozens and dozens and dozens. 3M recently published an interactive compendium of scientific research conducted over the past 25+ years related to the Bair Hugger warming system. It includes more than 200 publication summaries […]
March 11, 2017
A 3M competitor once again is spreading inaccurate and malicious information about the market-leading 3M™ Bair Hugger™ patient warming system. Scott Augustine, maker of the HotDog warming blanket, has sent emails to medical providers stating that 3M is doing a “silent recall’’ by “quietly replacing Bair Hugger with an alternative device.’’ The emails are from Orthopedic Infection Advisory and StopSurgicalInfections.org, shell organizations supported by Augustine Temperature […]
May 4, 2017
Forced-air warming and conductive blankets are different products, court says The court overseeing the lawsuits against the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ warming device ruled that plaintiffs’ lawyers are not entitled to documents about another warming system that 3M distributes because they are not relevant to the case. Plaintiffs’ lawyers had argued that VitaHEAT’s UB3 patient warming system, for which 3M is the exclusive distributor, is a “safer […]
May 17, 2017
You may have seen recent advertisements or emails from Augustine Temperature Management, a 3M competitor that has worked with plaintiffs’ lawyers to attack 3M and its health-care provider partners. The advertisement continues a pattern of attacks by Augustine Temperature Management on the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ warming system. It is important to understand that Augustine Temperature Management is the principal architect of the litigation against 3M and […]
June 7, 2017
Four new medical papers published this year debunk claims that forced-air warming systems cause surgical site infections. The papers – all published in respected medical journals – reinforce the long-held contention by medical experts that the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ patient warming system does not lead to an increase in surgical site infections. The Bair Hugger system has been used more than 200 million times in the […]
July 20, 2017
The story of Ridgeview Medical Center is a classic example of the misrepresentations that form the foundation for the lawsuits against the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ system. 3M competitor Scott Augustine – the architect of the lawsuits against the Bair Hugger system – claims that Ridgeview reduced its infection rates in knee surgeries by 81% after it switched from the Bair Hugger system to his HotDog™ blanket. […]
August 1, 2017
Plaintiffs drop case one month after court announced trial sequence One of the six lawsuits selected to be bellwether cases in the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ system litigation already has been dismissed. Attorneys for Jeffrey Knuteson asked the court to dismiss their case against 3M this month. Knuteson’s attorneys agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, which means it cannot be refiled. The dismissal came just one […]
August 22, 2017
Courts deny plaintiffs’ request to add punitive damages; raise questions about science underpinning lawsuits A federal court, as well as a Minnesota state court, have denied motions by plaintiffs’ attorneys to add claims for punitive damages to the bellwether trial pool cases and 56 cases pending in a Minnesota state court, a significant victory for 3M in its defense of the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ warming system. […]
August 30, 2017
Plaintiffs’ lawyers have spent millions of dollars soliticing patients who contracted infections during or after surgery, telling them that scientific evidence may suggest that their infections are related to patient warming. In a sign of a rush to file lawsuits, more than 100 cases against the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ warming system already have been dismissed, with more expected in the coming months. 3M is vigorously challenging […]
August 31, 2017
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a letter reminding healthcare providers that it continues to recommend patients be warmed during surgery when clinically warranted. The FDA specifically mentioned that its recommendation includes the continued use of forced-air warming devices. The 3M™ Bair Hugger™ warming system is the world’s leading forced-air warming product. The FDA said it recently became aware that some providers and patients […]