The Bair Hugger system is a surgical warming blanket that treats, prevents, and monitors unintended hypothermia and its associated problems in surgical patients. It is marketed under the 3M Bair Hugger brand name. It was approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1988 as the first surgical blanket that worked on a forced air system. The company offers 25 Bair Hugger blankets in various styles and sizes offering a warming tool for any surgical procedure.
It works on a system devised by Dr. Scott D. Augustine and consists of a portable heater/blower connected by a flexible hose to a blanket that blows warm air around the patient’s body to help maintain his body temperature during a surgery. Faster recovery time and less bleeding are a few of the benefits that have been revealed by a study performed in patients who were kept warm during a surgery.