If you haven’t visited a hospital lately, please be advised, that you should wear a sweater, or even a snowsuit, when you enter the medical facility. It’s freezing in the waiting, patient, recovery and operating rooms.

Hospitals everywhere have lowered the temperatures of their interiors to prevent the spread of germs/viruses. Researchers have discovered in recent years, colder rooms provide more protection. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that patients who are wearing light weight gowns are suffering. They are so cold that they are shivering. Nurses offer as many blankets as they need, but anything less then four or five covers on top of a patient doesn’t seem to warm them up.

The good news is a company named 3M. I’m sure you have heard of them. They now make a portable heater that blows hot air under the patient’s gown. It’s name is the 3M Bair Hugger Heating System. You have to watch the video to understand how it works.

Progressive hospitals everywhere are using these new heat blowers for patients. TV personality Steve Greenberg, just had hand surgery today, at New York Presbyterian, and he said the new heating system was a great comfort. He is even considering buying a unit for cold winter nights in his New York apartment. You can laugh all you want. I bet you will be buying one too in the next year or two.