Surgical Fires

From MSNBC:

ECRI Institute, a nonprofit health research agency, estimates that there are 50 to 100 fires out of the more than 50 million surgeries performed in the United States each year. Such fires kill one to two people annually, and 20 percent of patients suffer serious, disfiguring injuries, according to ECRI, which investigates medical procedures and devices.

At left, Kathleen Osberger after surgery and at right, before surgery.
Most fires are caused when oxygen builds up under surgical drapes during the use of electric surgical tools that cut or remove tissue or control bleeding, the institute says.

Let's just say that while I've never had a patient injured from a fire in the operating room, with all the equipment used, and the oxygen rich environment, it's not that rare of an occurrence if I've seen it as many times as I have...

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