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Thursday, February 5, 2009
Surgical Fires
When patients sign release forms before surgery, they are told some of the worst things that can happen are potential heart attacks, bleeding, infections, and the extremely small chance of death. However, what is not mentioned is the possibility of a fire during surgery that can debilitate or kill the patient.
It is estimated that there may be 600 surgical fires a year in the US, however the number may be much higher than this. When you consider that there are 50 million or so surgeries performed, it is a tiny percentage. But so is the risk of dying, and patients are told that can happen. Why aren’t they warned about the risk of a fire?
What makes a fire during surgery so serious is that it is the patient who is burned. And because it only takes heat, fuel and oxygen to ignite a fire, when it is the oxygen tube that burns, patients literally inhale the flames. Rubbing alcohol used in swabbing to disinfect areas is also highly flammable. What causes the fires is a spark that may be caused by a surgical tool, such as a laser. This then ignites anything flammable around the patient. This includes antiseptic, surgical drapes, and even a patient’s hair. It may then move to the oxygen mask and begin to burn the patient’s face as well as internal areas.
The founder of surgicalfire.org, a website dedicated to informing the public about this danger saw her mother go through this in 2002. Her mother suffered second- and third-degree burns on the right side of her face, as were her eyes, inside of her mouth and nose, and back. Her mother never really recovered and died two years later.
Surgical fires are most likely to occur during head and neck surgery because heat, fuel, and air are close together. It doesn’t take much for a laser to cut the line of oxygen and ignite it. But it would be beneficial if the hospitals let patients and their families know that this is a risk. Then let the patients and families decide how to proceed.
The Emergency Care Research Institute suggests asking your doctor about using less oxygen or even no oxygen during surgery. You may also want to ask about using non-alcohol-based skin preps, such as betadyne. These simple steps can significantly cut down the risk of a fire starting while you are on the table for surgery.
If you or a loved one has been burned in a surgical fire, you deserve compensation for your pain and suffering. Please contact the Cochran Firm to schedule an initial consultation with our experienced medical malpractice attorneys.
It is estimated that there may be 600 surgical fires a year in the US, however the number may be much higher than this. When you consider that there are 50 million or so surgeries performed, it is a tiny percentage. But so is the risk of dying, and patients are told that can happen. Why aren’t they warned about the risk of a fire?
What makes a fire during surgery so serious is that it is the patient who is burned. And because it only takes heat, fuel and oxygen to ignite a fire, when it is the oxygen tube that burns, patients literally inhale the flames. Rubbing alcohol used in swabbing to disinfect areas is also highly flammable. What causes the fires is a spark that may be caused by a surgical tool, such as a laser. This then ignites anything flammable around the patient. This includes antiseptic, surgical drapes, and even a patient’s hair. It may then move to the oxygen mask and begin to burn the patient’s face as well as internal areas.
The founder of surgicalfire.org, a website dedicated to informing the public about this danger saw her mother go through this in 2002. Her mother suffered second- and third-degree burns on the right side of her face, as were her eyes, inside of her mouth and nose, and back. Her mother never really recovered and died two years later.
Surgical fires are most likely to occur during head and neck surgery because heat, fuel, and air are close together. It doesn’t take much for a laser to cut the line of oxygen and ignite it. But it would be beneficial if the hospitals let patients and their families know that this is a risk. Then let the patients and families decide how to proceed.
The Emergency Care Research Institute suggests asking your doctor about using less oxygen or even no oxygen during surgery. You may also want to ask about using non-alcohol-based skin preps, such as betadyne. These simple steps can significantly cut down the risk of a fire starting while you are on the table for surgery.
If you or a loved one has been burned in a surgical fire, you deserve compensation for your pain and suffering. Please contact the Cochran Firm to schedule an initial consultation with our experienced medical malpractice attorneys.
posted by Benjamin A. Irwin at 12:40 PM
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