Bair Hugger and Safety Belt

heather carlisle · Jan 21, 2017

We always teach that the belt goes below the Bair Hugger. There are two reasons for this.

1) Belting over the Bair Hugger will disrupt the air flow to the blanket channels

2) The belt tends to slip on the plastic of the hugger if the OR table is tilted.

However, your comment regarding the buckle has merit, and the solution to this is to place the buckle on the side of the bed, rather than onto of the patient. Even more importantly, a foam positioning pad or a folded blanket should be placed between the patient and the belt always, so the buckle will not come in contact with the skin, leading to potential burns from the electric cautery.

In 10 or more years of using the Bair Hugger I have never had a buckle heat up to such a degree as to burn the patient, so it is a very safe and essential piece of equipment. The manufacturer recommendations on application and use of the Bair Hugger can be viewed on the 3M website at 3M Bair Hugger Normothermia Education | 3M Medical | 3M United States

SQueenRN, BSN · Jan 21, 2017

THANK YOU!

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 22, 2017

Another option would be to move from safety straps with buckles, which makes me think they are reusable, to a disposable velcro option. We use a fully disposable OR table setup- sheet, draw sheet, armboard covers, head cradle cover, safety strap, foam padding.

birdie22 · Feb 11, 2017

We use both reusable metal safety belts and the velco one - circulator preference. There are pro and cons to both. Ive never seen a burn or other issue bc of the metal one. Regardless, i usually put the strap below the warmer.

LAM2010, BSN · Feb 20, 2017

You know, we always have this debate where I work, and I've been putting the belt under the Bair blanket and then I just keep my eye on the Bair blanket to see if it's slipping (it never does). We do have metal belt clips, and I've never felt one get hot. -- However, last week I noticed that when the belt was placed over the Bair blanket (directly on it), all the channels were filled with the warm air, above and below where the belt was. The belt did not appear to be impeding that air flow.

ggoodman · Feb 26, 2017

in the heart room there is no safety belt and we use an under body bear huger. for other room belt goes on over a blanket or something to protect the patients skin, then the bear hugger.