Reusable warming can reduce forced-air blanket demand without a hospital-wide conversion. If Bair Hugger® or other forced-air warming blankets are backordered, the immediate constraint is not the warming unit. It is the disposable blanket required for each patient. Hospitals can conserve existing inventory or look for additional forced-air blankets through supply channels. Before connecting another [...]

The Clock Is Ticking on Mega Soft Availability Megadyne Mega Soft Reusable Patient Return Electrodes are now discontinued. As of December 31, 2025, final sales ended — and no replacement product was announced by Johnson & Johnson MedTech. Facilities still running disposable adhesive pads are absorbing per-case costs with no reusable alternative on the market [...]

Every patient who enters the operating room begins to lose heat. Even in a 70°F OR, anesthesia suppresses the body’s ability to regulate temperature within minutes. Without active warming, most patients become hypothermic during surgery: defined as a core temperature below 36 °C. While a one-degree drop may sound minor, research shows that even mild [...]

A Third Settlement Raises Renewed Questions Recent court filings show that 3M has settled its third lawsuit involving alleged infections linked to the Bair Hugger™ Forced-air Warming device. The case, Douglas Tye v. 3M (1916-CV00825), was settled on June 17, 2025, according to records from a Minneapolis federal court. Two other cases were previously settled [...]

As Mega Soft™ pads become discontinued in December 2025, hospitals are asking: What’s the best replacement? According to Medline’s publicly accessible Vendor Discontinuation Notice, Megadyne Mega Soft® pads are discontinued by the manufacturer. Distribution of Mega Soft pads will end by December 31, 2025. With some models already backordered, many OR teams are actively evaluating their options. [...]