Surgical Fires Rare, But Catastrophic
1 Reported In Massachusetts Since 2007
POSTED: 8:10 am EDT March 16,
2009
UPDATED: 2:28 pm EDT March 16,
2009
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BOSTON -- One of the worst things that can happen to a patient in an operating room is also one of the least talked about.
VideoSo-called surgical fires, in which a patient actually catches fire during a medical procedure, are rare but can be fatal.Cathy Reuter Lake has become a crusader on the issue, since her mother was the victim of a surgical fire on New Year's Eve 2002, when she was undergoing a tracheotomy at a Washington, D.C., area hospital.Lake said her mother signed the release forms that explained everything that could go wrong during the procedure; bleeding, heart attack, infection, even death. But the legal papers did not include any warning about the possibility of a surgical fire."She went into an operating room, trusting that they would make things better for her and instead she came out burned," said Lake.She said her mother was burned and disfigured."My mom had second- and third-degree burns to the right side of her face. Both of her eyes were burned, inside her nose and her mouth, down her back." Lake's mother, Catherine Darahano Reuter, a diabetic heart patient, declined rapidly after the accident."She couldn't walk, she couldn't eat. She couldn't talk."Lake had never heard of surgical fires until her mother's accident, but they are very real. Most happen when oxygen is flowing and a surgical tool, like a laser, creates a spark. The spark can ignite anything flammable that is near the patient."Once that happens it can go to the mask or the nasal canula and then it becomes a blowtorch, because you've got this flammable plastic with oxygen flowing through it," said Dr. James Pepple, an anesthesiologist who has testified as an expert in a number of lawsuits. Pepple has never personally experienced a surgical fire in his 30 year career."The reality is," said Pepple, "that there are those moments where we have those awful things happen and that's got to be one of the worst."Surgical fires are most common in head and neck procedures, when air, heat and fuel are all in close proximity.NewsCenter 5 has learned that since 2007 one surgical fire has been reported to the state of Massachusetts. Of the 50 million operations performed annually in the United States, the Emergency Care Research Institute estimates there are approximately 600 accidental fires."They rarely happen. Yeah, well, you know, that's maybe true," said Lake. "But I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be my mother that was set on fire. That's how rare they are until it's you."Two years after her tracheotomy, Darahano Reuter died. Now her daughter has started surgicalfires.org to raise awareness."It's a dirty little secret that people don't want to talk about. Had I asked, maybe somebody in the OR would have said, 'Oh wait, let's make sure, double check this.'"Massachusetts requires any surgical fire be reported to the state, but that is not the case in some states.Safety advocates said patients can lower the risk of surgical fires by discussing fire prevention with the operating surgeon beforehand. The doctor and patient may choose to use less, or no oxygen. Patients can also request non-alcohol based skin preparations, like betadyne.
VideoSo-called surgical fires, in which a patient actually catches fire during a medical procedure, are rare but can be fatal.Cathy Reuter Lake has become a crusader on the issue, since her mother was the victim of a surgical fire on New Year's Eve 2002, when she was undergoing a tracheotomy at a Washington, D.C., area hospital.Lake said her mother signed the release forms that explained everything that could go wrong during the procedure; bleeding, heart attack, infection, even death. But the legal papers did not include any warning about the possibility of a surgical fire."She went into an operating room, trusting that they would make things better for her and instead she came out burned," said Lake.She said her mother was burned and disfigured."My mom had second- and third-degree burns to the right side of her face. Both of her eyes were burned, inside her nose and her mouth, down her back." Lake's mother, Catherine Darahano Reuter, a diabetic heart patient, declined rapidly after the accident."She couldn't walk, she couldn't eat. She couldn't talk."Lake had never heard of surgical fires until her mother's accident, but they are very real. Most happen when oxygen is flowing and a surgical tool, like a laser, creates a spark. The spark can ignite anything flammable that is near the patient."Once that happens it can go to the mask or the nasal canula and then it becomes a blowtorch, because you've got this flammable plastic with oxygen flowing through it," said Dr. James Pepple, an anesthesiologist who has testified as an expert in a number of lawsuits. Pepple has never personally experienced a surgical fire in his 30 year career."The reality is," said Pepple, "that there are those moments where we have those awful things happen and that's got to be one of the worst."Surgical fires are most common in head and neck procedures, when air, heat and fuel are all in close proximity.NewsCenter 5 has learned that since 2007 one surgical fire has been reported to the state of Massachusetts. Of the 50 million operations performed annually in the United States, the Emergency Care Research Institute estimates there are approximately 600 accidental fires."They rarely happen. Yeah, well, you know, that's maybe true," said Lake. "But I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be my mother that was set on fire. That's how rare they are until it's you."Two years after her tracheotomy, Darahano Reuter died. Now her daughter has started surgicalfires.org to raise awareness."It's a dirty little secret that people don't want to talk about. Had I asked, maybe somebody in the OR would have said, 'Oh wait, let's make sure, double check this.'"Massachusetts requires any surgical fire be reported to the state, but that is not the case in some states.Safety advocates said patients can lower the risk of surgical fires by discussing fire prevention with the operating surgeon beforehand. The doctor and patient may choose to use less, or no oxygen. Patients can also request non-alcohol based skin preparations, like betadyne.Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
