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Outpatient Surgery E-Weekly

Contact Congress Over Drug Shortage Issues

A Kentucky congressman is urging surgical facilities to contact their members of Congress and request that they sign his letter demanding changes to...

N.J. Posts ASC Inspection Reports Online

State and federal inspection reports of New Jersey's ASCs are now available online, giving patients an opportunity to make more informed choices abo...

Are Opioids Necessary?

While it's not always practical, or even possible, to eliminate opioids from your post-op pain management regiment, reducing their use in favor of n...

Archive > April, 2007 Vol. VIII, No. 4

When Surgery Sends Sparks Flying

A surgeon discusses lessons learned from a surgical fire that scarred more than his patient.

Dan O'Connor, Editor-in-Chief

Drrzzzt. It was the faintest click, the slight sound of sparks flying. "I realized what was happening immediately," says the surgeon. "I said to myself, 'That sounded very electrical.'" As he pulled back the drapes from the patient's face, whoosh!, a bluish flame raced across the tip of the nasal cannula. He smushed the drapes to snuff the fire. It was out in seconds, but the damage was done: The man who came to the surgery center to have fat pads removed from his lower eyelids wound up at a burn center with first- and second-degree burns to the middle of his face and one nostril.

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Categories: Anesthesia, Malpractice, Safety
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