Alcohol based surgical prep solution and the risk of fire in the operating room: a case report


A few cases of fire in the operating room are reported in the literature. The factors that may initiate these fires are many and include alcohol based surgical prep solutions, electrosurgical equipment, flammable drapes etc.

We are reporting a case of fire in the operating room while operating on a patient with burst fracture C6 vertebra with quadriplegia. The cause of the fire was due to incomplete drying of the covering drapes with an alcohol based surgical prep solution.

This paper discusses potential preventive measures to minimize the incidence of fire in the operating room.

Author: Sumit Batra and Rajiv Gupta
Credits/Source: Patient Safety in Surgery 2008, 2:10



Published on: 2008-04-26

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Comments Page 1 of 1
cathy
Posted 88 days ago
Pleae visit my website www.surgicalfire.org to see the damage caused by NOT waiting for a flammable skin prep to dry. This site is for educational purposes only.
Thank You
 


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