Veterinary Surgery Uses for Bair Hugger

There is no shortage of need for warm comfort for animals - from surgery to trauma. I spent several summers of my youth volunteering by caring for animals in a kennel and boarding facility. I have always loved animals. As an adult, I have rescued countless animals (squirrels, cats, dogs) and either nursed them back to help, found homes for them or kept them as pets. 

I can see the Bair Hugger warming system being used in two capacities. The first, being during and post-surgical applications. The second, being orphaned and abandoned (or otherwise traumatized) animals. 

In this post, I will discuss the Bair Hugger in a surgery environment. 

I imagine this dog is snoozing off his anesthesia on a warm
cloud of comfort. Maybe I need one of these!

Bair Hugger offers several products that I have found which can be used in the animal OR.

The first is the Animal Health Underbody Blanket (seen to the left). It is a soft, warm air filled bladder that helps maintain 

Similar to the features that I saw on the human Bair Hugger blankets, the ones marketed for veterinary uses claim a benefit over traditional water mattresses, since they can leak and the design avoids electrical hazards that may occur due to punctures or tears from claws and paws.

They are even made of a material which can accommodate various medical imaging needs. 

The second product worth mentioning is the Bair Hugger Animal Health Blanket. This blanket stays over the body as opposed to under it. 

This is the Bair Hugger blanket which goes over
the body, keeping in the cozy.

The website claims "The blankets come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit your patients -- from kittens to horses and everything in between"

They can tuck the flaps at the shoulders, just like they do for human bodies undergoing surgical procedures and the hose (you can kind of see it at the foot of this operating table) can be attached in several locations and then sealed shut, providing a sealed and comfortable environment for the duration of the procedure.

Since the blankets are all disposable they make for an easy solution to maintain a solid temperature for as long as the machine is running, and can be swapped out easily with minimal mess.

In investigating these products, I came across a brochure which discusses all of the Bair Hugger products for animals. 

This graphic was on the pages, showing their entire line. 

I don't know if you can tell (it seems like it's a little blurry to me?), but they have several styles of over the top and underbody blankets, the warming unit, the warming unit filter and there is also an entire line of fluid warming devices, from a warming unit to what seems to be two intravenous flow bags or distributing pre-warmed medicine and blood. 

Pediatric Applications for Bair Hugger Systems

Whenever I hear stories about sickness or infections becoming rampant, I always know that there are two groups which are disproportionately affected - the very young and the elderly. Young children are especially at risk given their inability to express being cold. The usage of Bair Hugger blankets can decrease their risk of hypothermic exposure and long term effects.

According to an article found here "Hypothermia is the most common perioperative disturbance in pediatric patients. Pediatric patients are highly vulnerable to hypothermia and its associated complications, e.g. respiratory embarrassment, metabolic acidosis, hypoglycemia, hypoxemia, cardiac disturbances, coagulopathy, and a higher incidence of wound infection etc. This higher vulnerability is mainly due to increased heat loss from larger head size, thin skin, lack of subcutaneous pad of fat and limited ability of compensatory thermogenesis from brown fat."

3M has specifically addressed the need of pediatric patients with the Pediatric Underbody Blanket Model 555.

According to the 3M website, the Model 555 , the Pediatric Underbody Blanket:

The Bair Hugger Model 555 - I can see the clear plastic
"tent". Looks cozy!

• Minimizes pooling of fluids on the surface of the blanket due to unique fluid outlets
• Has even perforations across the entire blanket to ensure uniform warming
• Gives options for hose placement
• Affixes to operating tables with tape and tuck flaps
• Includes two clear plastic drapes which form a "tent" of warm air to surround the vulnerable patient.

The paper linked to above also says that during pediatric anesthesia, infants and small children, being prone to perioperative hypothermia makes it mandatory to moniator their core temperature. This management should involved "prevention and/or decreasing the risk by use of a multimodal approach. This includes preoperatively keeping the child warm, increasing ambient OR (Operating Room) temperature...and use of forced air warming devices". 

What are Bair Hugger blankets?

A large dog is sound asleep using the Bair Hugger system
while recovering.

Maybe you have seen them on the news, or, like me, you have a family member who just had surgery and were introduced in a hospital setting. The Bair Hugger. Sounds cozy - but what is it?

The Bair Hugger therapy temperature management system, a 3M product, uses forced warmed air to prevent hypothermia in surgical patients. It is also used to prevent and treat hypothermia for animals.

I liked what I saw in the hospital, but I was a little concerned because of some of the press and I had some questions of my own (as a youngster, I once experienced an electric blanket fire). I wanted to share what I found with others.




The basics:

• Bair Hugger uses forced-air warming to slowly distribute warm air across patients during various stages of surgery and recuperation to guarantee patient temperature control
• System comprised of Bair Hugger components and the "241 fluid warming system"
• There are 19 Bair Hugger disposable blanket models
• Each warming unit filters air to 0.2 microns and has four different temperature settings
• The warming units are modular and may be mounted affixed to a variety of hospital setting components or may be placed on the floor

In short, the Bair Hugger temperature management system may be used in pediatric, veterinary, and other specialized surgery settings, and is a helpful tool in preventing surgical complications.

Next, I will dive into the different systems.