Patient warming is a typical medical process used to maintain body temperature and prevent hypothermia during surgery. A forced air warming blanket is one way to keep surgery patients warm during surgery. It works by forcing hot air through a hose into a special blanket that is draped over the patient.
Unfortunately, studies have shown that the airflow in operating rooms is disrupted by forced air patient warmers. This disruption increases the risk of infection.
Some records indicate that during certain periods of time, over 90% of hip and knee surgeries used the Bair Hugger warming blanket. Therefore, if you have suffered a joint infection after surgery, chances are relatively high that a Bair Hugger blanket was used. You could therefore have a claim for damages.