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Management of a fire in the operating room

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Abstract

Operating room (OR) fires remain a significant source of liability for anesthesia providers and injury for patients, despite existing practice guidelines and other improvements in operating room safety. Factors contributing to OR fires are well understood and these occurrences are generally preventable. OR personnel must be familiar with the fire triad which consists of a fuel supply, an oxidizing agent, and an ignition source. Existing evidence shows that OR-related fires can result in significant patient complications and malpractice claims. Steps to reduce fires include taking appropriate safety measures before a patient is brought to the OR, taking proper preventive measures during surgery, and effectively managing fire and patient complications when they occur. Decreasing the incidence of fires should be a team effort involving the entire OR personnel, including surgeons, anesthesia providers, nurses, scrub technologists, and administrators. Communication and coordination among members of the OR team is essential to creating a culture of safety.

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Conflict of interest

Richard D. Urman, Daniel Kolinsky, and Alan D. Kaye have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Alan David Kaye

  2. Division of Emergency Medicine, Barnes Jewish-Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Daniel Kolinsky

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, USA

    Richard D. Urman

Authors
  1. Alan David Kaye
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  2. Daniel Kolinsky
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  3. Richard D. Urman
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Correspondence to Richard D. Urman.

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Kaye, A.D., Kolinsky, D. & Urman, R.D. Management of a fire in the operating room. J Anesth 28, 279–287 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-013-1705-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-013-1705-6

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