Partner David W. Hodges of Kennedy Hodges, LLP Appointed to the Executive Committee of the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee (PSC) for Bair Hugger Multi-district Litigation.
HOUSTON, March 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Partner David W. Hodges of Houston based Law Firm, Kennedy Hodges, LLP has been appointed to the Executive Committee of the Plaintiff's Steering Committee (PSC) for the national litigation involving the Bair Hugger ™ forced air warming (FAW) device.
Being the first attorney in the country to bring this lawsuit, partner David W. Hodges has been awarded the honor among six others to sit on the Executive Committee which will oversee the litigation regarding the newly-formed Multidistrict Litigation (MDL).
After researching infections during hip and knee replacement surgeries, Hodges was the first to bring to light that these infections might be linked to an allegedly defective device manufactured by 3M, called the "Bair Hugger™."
What is Bair Hugger? -- Found in hospital operating rooms across the country, the 3M Bair Hugger blows warm air through a warming blanket to keep patients warm when they are under anesthesia during surgical procedures. The device came under scrutiny after its inventor, Dr. Scott Augustine, began raising questions about possible increased infection risks.
The Bair Hugger device attempts to regulate a patient's body temperature using FAW. The device discharges air, which in addition to warming the patient's body, also gets underneath the surgical table during a procedure -- and, according to claims, this warm air then picks up germs that are on the surgical floor. As with most floors, the floors of an operating room are filled with bacteria. The contaminated air is then said to be lifted into the sterile surgical field, ultimately landing on the orthopedic implant. It is alleged that this rising warm air can result in an infection deep in the artificial joint.
Multiple lawsuits were consolidated into a federal MDL in December before Judge Joan Ericksen of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The steering and executive committee attorneys work for the common interests of all MDL plaintiffs and supervise, develop, and prosecute any common aspects of the litigation.
Many claimants have suffered multiple infections, amputations, and additional surgeries allegedly as a result of this device.
About Kennedy Hodges, LLP:
From its Houston headquarters, Kennedy Hodges represents clients throughout Texas and nationwide in practice areas such as wage and hour violations, personal injury claims, products liability, trucking accidents, medical malpractice, pharmacy error, and industrial accident claims. For more information, please visit: http://www.kennedyhodges.com.
For more information regarding the Bair Hugger claims, visit: http://www.kennedyhodges.com/practice_areas/3m-bair-hugger-surgical-infection-lawyers.cfm.
Bair Hugger FAQ's: http://www.kennedyhodges.com/library/bair-hugger-case-updates-faqs.cfm.
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SOURCE Kennedy Hodges, LLP
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