Federal Jury Rules in Favor of 3M

Verdict affirms science behind 3M Bair Hugger System

Today, a federal jury ruled in favor of 3M, concluding that the 3M™ Bair Hugger™ patient warming system did not cause the plaintiff’s infection. The jury deliberated less than two hours before reaching its verdict..

3M is grateful that the jury put science first. This verdict affirms the science behind the 3M Bair Hugger system, which has been proven to be a safe and effective way to warm patients during surgery. Many clinical studies have shown that maintaining normal body temperature – through the use of forced-air warming – reduces the risk of surgical-site infections, decreases the risk of post-operative heart attacks, reduces blood loss, and helps patients recover faster following surgery. It is noteworthy that just last August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that healthcare providers continue to use warming devices, including forced-air devices such as the Bair Hugger system, when clinically warranted. In the past three decades, more than 200 million patients have been successfully and safely warmed by 3M’s patient warming products.

This litigation stems directly from a decade-long campaign by a competitor to malign the technology behind the Bair Hugger system..

You can read a news story about the verdict here.