Illinois: Woman dies after catching fire during surgery

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Illinois: Woman dies after catching fire during surgery

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:28:25 PM EDT

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Illinois Woman Dies After Catching Fire in Surgery

Thursday, September 17, 2009

MARION, Ill. — An attorney says a southern Illinois woman died six days after being accidentally set ablaze during an operation at a Marion hospital.

Robert Howerton has been retained by the family of Janice McCall. He says the 65-year-old Energy woman died Sept. 8 at a Nashville, Tenn., hospital to which she was transferred.

Howerton says he's requesting records from Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion about what happened to McCall.

The hospital acknowledges in a statement that the flash fire happened but won't offer specifics, citing patient confidentiality laws.

The Tennessee state medical examiner's office says McCall died from complications of thermal burns, and her death is listed as accidental.

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:29:07 PM EDT

[#1]

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:30:00 PM EDT

[#2]

This is why you keep the damn beans out of chili.

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:30:02 PM EDT

[#3]

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:31:44 PM EDT

[#4]

well that's a new one.

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:33:18 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:

This is why you keep the damn beans out of chili.

Absolutely

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:42:05 PM EDT

[#6]

Maybe they were operating by candle light, and there was an oxygen source...

Maybe the surgeon was smoking...

How the hell can that happen??
Electrical spark? Where did all the flammable gas come from?

I saw an episode on N.C.I.S. where a doctor shoved an oxygen tube in a guy's chest and set a delayed fuse using a lit cigarrette. But I mean really...WTF?

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:43:21 PM EDT

[#7]

WTF?!

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:45:01 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
well that's a new one.

It's not a new one. It's been a known problem for a long time. The anesthesiologist was most likely using 100 % o2 as the surgeon was using an electrocauterizer. The o2 is trapped under the surgical drapes and turns what would have been a little melting into a blaze. The worst cases are procedures which take place in the throat/trachea and the laser or cattery touches a non-rated endotracheal tube and the plastic turns into a melted flame thrower.
This amounts to negligence as the 100% o2 was most likely unnecessary, and if it was special venting precautions should have been used.

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:49:19 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:

This is why you keep the damn beans out of chili.

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:50:34 PM EDT

[#10]

Alot of the stuff in our OR is Marked as Follows : FOR USE ONLY WITH NON-FLAMMABLE ANESTHETICS, FAILURE TO DO SO MAY RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH.

So I assume they regularly have some that are used that could create a flash fire when exposed to certain unshielded electronics...

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:51:13 PM EDT

[#11]

Yet another innocent victim gets burned by our capitalist health care system.

Paging Michael Moore...

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:51:51 PM EDT

[#12]

That's it, I will inform the wife to never again put beans in the chili.

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:55:47 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:

Quoted:
well that's a new one.

It's not a new one. It's been a known problem for a long time. The anesthesiologist was most likely using 100 % o2 as the surgeon was using an electrocauterizer. The o2 is trapped under the surgical drapes and turns what would have been a little melting into a blaze. The worst cases are procedures which take place in the throat/trachea and the laser or cattery touches a non-rated endotracheal tube and the plastic turns into a melted flame thrower.
This amounts to negligence as the 100% o2 was most likely unnecessary, and if it was special venting precautions should have been used.

This and many of sterile prep/scrubs are alcohol based, and may not have been dry and ignited. I have seen an OR fire once, fortunately it wasn't on the patient. The cable for the cautery was defective, and caught the insulation on fire.
some protocol was not followed, probably

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:57:58 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
well that's a new one.

Not really, shit happens.

Posted: 9/17/2009 1:58:09 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:

Quoted:

well that's a new one.

It's not a new one. It's been a known problem for a long time. The anesthesiologist was most likely using 100 % o2 as the surgeon was using an electrocauterizer. The o2 is trapped under the surgical drapes and turns what would have been a little melting into a blaze. The worst cases are procedures which take place in the throat/trachea and the laser or cattery touches a non-rated endotracheal tube and the plastic turns into a melted flame thrower.

This amounts to negligence as the 100% o2 was most likely unnecessary, and if it was special venting precautions should have been used.

This.