Preventing Fires in the Operating Room
Fires in the operating room are not that common.
But in the rare instances that they do occur, they inflict devastating consequences primarily on the patient and also to the doctors, and healthcare staff.
This is why, surgery fire safety is very important.
It is crucial to educate the OR staff regarding fire prevention and emergency preparedness.
Here are some of the things to know in order to prevent or minimise the risks of a surgical fire.
1.
Educate First of all, everyone should know that for a fire to occur, the three components of the fire triad should be present.
These include: oxidizer, ignition source, and fuel.
Oxidizers can be oxygen and nitrous oxide.
Ignition sources include drills, lasers, and electrosurgery facilities.
Fuels, meanwhile, can be anything from tracheal tubes, clothing, paper, sponges, and so on.
2.
Train The OR team should participate in regular fire safety seminars and fire drills.
Proper training and seminars would keep them abreast regarding the rudiments of fire protection during surgical operations.
3.
Prepare Before each surgery, the OR team should be able to determine if it would be at high risk for a surgical fire.
If it is, the team should take the necessary precautions to reduce these risks.
This can be done by refraining from using ignition sources near oxidizers, configuring surgical drapes to reduce the accumulation of oxidizers, allowing flammable skin prepping solutions to dry sufficiently, keeping sponges and gauze damp when used near ignition sources, and many others.
4.
Coordinate The anesthesiologist should coordinate with the OR team during the surgical procedure to reduce oxidation in the atmosphere especially when there is a need to use an ignition source.
5.
Act As early as somebody recognises signs of fire, stop the procedure immediately and act to control the fire.
For airway fires, the first thing to do is to remove the tracheal tube.
After this, stop flow of all airway gases, remove flammable materials, and then pour saline into the airway.
As for non-airway fires, be sure to stop the flow of all the airway gases, remove any flammable material and then work on to put out the fire.
Once fire has been completely put out, reestablish ventilation and attend to the patient's status immediately.
A surgical operation is nerve-wracking by itself.
The possibility of a fire accident can make the atmosphere even edgier.
This is why it is of utmost importance to ensure surgery fire safety to reduce the risk of a surgical fire and to ensure the safety of the patient and the OR team as well.
When it comes to things like fire accidents, you can never be too careful.
Be sure to educate and train the OR team, have them prepare extensively, do proper coordination with the anesthesiologist, and act accordingly in case of an actual fire emergency.
But in the rare instances that they do occur, they inflict devastating consequences primarily on the patient and also to the doctors, and healthcare staff.
This is why, surgery fire safety is very important.
It is crucial to educate the OR staff regarding fire prevention and emergency preparedness.
Here are some of the things to know in order to prevent or minimise the risks of a surgical fire.
1.
Educate First of all, everyone should know that for a fire to occur, the three components of the fire triad should be present.
These include: oxidizer, ignition source, and fuel.
Oxidizers can be oxygen and nitrous oxide.
Ignition sources include drills, lasers, and electrosurgery facilities.
Fuels, meanwhile, can be anything from tracheal tubes, clothing, paper, sponges, and so on.
2.
Train The OR team should participate in regular fire safety seminars and fire drills.
Proper training and seminars would keep them abreast regarding the rudiments of fire protection during surgical operations.
3.
Prepare Before each surgery, the OR team should be able to determine if it would be at high risk for a surgical fire.
If it is, the team should take the necessary precautions to reduce these risks.
This can be done by refraining from using ignition sources near oxidizers, configuring surgical drapes to reduce the accumulation of oxidizers, allowing flammable skin prepping solutions to dry sufficiently, keeping sponges and gauze damp when used near ignition sources, and many others.
4.
Coordinate The anesthesiologist should coordinate with the OR team during the surgical procedure to reduce oxidation in the atmosphere especially when there is a need to use an ignition source.
5.
Act As early as somebody recognises signs of fire, stop the procedure immediately and act to control the fire.
For airway fires, the first thing to do is to remove the tracheal tube.
After this, stop flow of all airway gases, remove flammable materials, and then pour saline into the airway.
As for non-airway fires, be sure to stop the flow of all the airway gases, remove any flammable material and then work on to put out the fire.
Once fire has been completely put out, reestablish ventilation and attend to the patient's status immediately.
A surgical operation is nerve-wracking by itself.
The possibility of a fire accident can make the atmosphere even edgier.
This is why it is of utmost importance to ensure surgery fire safety to reduce the risk of a surgical fire and to ensure the safety of the patient and the OR team as well.
When it comes to things like fire accidents, you can never be too careful.
Be sure to educate and train the OR team, have them prepare extensively, do proper coordination with the anesthesiologist, and act accordingly in case of an actual fire emergency.
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