What do you do in case of fire in the operating room?

What do you do in case of fire in the operating room?

Once a fire is identified, the following tasks should be performed almost simultaneously by all members of the operating room team71 :

1. Stop the flow of all airway gases and disconnect the breathing circuit.
2. Remove all burning and burned materials from the patient.
3. Extinguish the fire on the burning material.

What is the proper procedure to follow in the case of a patient airway fire?

In the case of an airway fire immediately, without hesitation, halt the procedure and remove the tracheal tube. Stop the flow of all airway gases. Remove sponges or any other flammable material from the airway, and pour saline into the airway.

What are the three overriding principles of operating room fire safety?

Three overriding principles of operating room fire safety are to prevent, and extinguish fires, and to evacuate persons at risk if necessary.

How common are operating room fires?

Surgical fires are fires that occur in, on, or around a patient undergoing a medical or surgical procedure. Surgical fires are rare but serious events. The ECRI Institute estimates that approximately 550 to 600 surgical fires occur each year.

Why are fire blankets not used in or?

Fire blankets — typically wool blankets treated with fire retardants that are placed over a fire to smother it — should never be located in an OR and should never be used for patient fires. Their use will likely cause more severe injuries to the patient.

What are the 3 elements of the fire triangle?

Oxygen, heat, and fuel are frequently referred to as the “fire triangle.” Add in the fourth element, the chemical reaction, and you actually have a fire “tetrahedron.” The important thing to remember is: take any of these four things away, and you will not have a fire or the fire will be extinguished.

How do you manage an airway fire?

For the management of airway fire, measures should be taken to extinguish the airway fire such as disconnecting the oxygen supply (with or without extubation, depending upon the anesthetist assessment on control of airway), saline wash and removing the cautery from the site of fire.

Which type of fire extinguisher is most appropriate to extinguish a fire on or in a patient?

CO2 extinguisher
When the patient is the fuel source, a CO2 extinguisher (effective on electrical fires and flammable liquids) would be preferable because of its lack of ammonium phosphate and thus the reduction in contamination and tissue damage. Proper use involves the PASS (pull pin, aim, squeeze, and sweep) technique.

How do you prevent fires in the operating room?

Topic Outline

1. Limit oxygen administration and avoid nitrous oxide. Management of open oxygen delivery systems. Avoid nitrous oxide. Special precautions during airway surgery.
2. Manage fuels. Alcohol-based prep solutions. Drapes, towels, sponges, and gauzes. Endotracheal tubes. Organic material.
3. Manage ignition sources.

What type of fire extinguisher is used in the operating room?

Most operating rooms are known to have flammable liquids, and a Class B fire extinguisher would be required. NFPA 10 says the travel distance to a Class B fire extinguisher is either 30 feet for low capacity extinguishers and low hazard areas, or 50 feet to moderate capacity extinguishers and low to moderate hazards.

Is there more oxygen in operating rooms?

Statistical analyses revealed that significantly higher oxygen concentrations occurred beneath the drapes with each incremental change in oxygen flow rate, and regardless of the oxygen flow rate used, oxygen concentrations beneath the drapes were significantly reduced with the use of the scavenger system.