Man Catches Fire During Surgery

[Ksyrup]

Two years ago, anyway....


Man Catches Fire During Surgery <!-- END HEADLINE -->
<!-- BEGIN STORY BODY -->Mon Apr 18, 9:09 AM ET



Seattle police launched an investigation on Friday to determine how a patient undergoing emergency heart surgery caught on fire at a local hospital in 2003.

The male patient, who was not identified, went up in flames after alcohol poured on his skin was ignited by a surgical instrument.

The patient died after the surgery but that was due to heart failure and not the fire, said Dr. Robert Caplan, medical quality director of Virginia Mason.

Caplan said fires are known to occur in operating rooms although they were extremely rare.

The two-year-old incident became publicly known after an anonymous letter sent to the media mentioned it as a sign of unsafe health care at the hospital, and said the patient burned to death.

Caplan strongly disputed its contents. "That letter is factually incorrect," he said.

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A couple of things stick out:

He died due to heart failure, not the fire. OK, but most likely he died because he had a heart attack when he realized he was on fire!

"Caplan said fires are known to occur in operating rooms although they were extremely rare."

Fires in operating rooms, sure. Fires on the body of the person being operated on?! I would hope not.

[Ragone]

I'm having a nba jam flashback

[ThunderingHERD]

http://medicine.iupui.edu/heartburn/heartburn_files/image010.gif

[Franklinnoble]

I'm having a nba jam flashback
I frickin' loved that game. Seriously, they need to make one of those built-in joystick games that you just plug into the TV for that. I'd throw away my PS2.

[Mr. Wednesday]

He died due to heart failure, not the fire. OK, but most likely he died because he had a heart attack when he realized he was on fire!Um, if it was during heart surgery, I would think he would have been under anaesthesia.

[Ksyrup]

That used to be true, but now you don't need to be put under even for things like heart surgery. It's all ball bearings nowadays.

[terpkristin]

What I immediately thought, when hearing this story a few days ago, is that something wasn't grounded properly. They use many electric implements in surgeries these days, and in every surgery I've had, I remember them putting a sticky pad/Ag-AgCl electrode on me so that all the tools would be grounded to me. I still believe that this is somehow the case, an improper ground.

/tk

[rkmsuf]

That used to be true, but now you don't need to be put under even for things like heart surgery. It's all ball bearings nowadays.


Had they some Quaker State things would have turned out better.

[wbatl1]

Two years ago, anyway....


Man Catches Fire During Surgery <!-- END HEADLINE -->
<!-- BEGIN STORY BODY -->Mon Apr 18, 9:09 AM ET



Seattle police launched an investigation on Friday to determine how a patient undergoing emergency heart surgery caught on fire at a local hospital in 2003.

The male patient, who was not identified, went up in flames after alcohol poured on his skin was ignited by a surgical instrument.

The patient died after the surgery but that was due to heart failure and not the fire, said Dr. Robert Caplan, medical quality director of Virginia Mason.

Caplan said fires are known to occur in operating rooms although they were extremely rare.

The two-year-old incident became publicly known after an anonymous letter sent to the media mentioned it as a sign of unsafe health care at the hospital, and said the patient burned to death.

Caplan strongly disputed its contents. "That letter is factually incorrect," he said.

----------------------------------------------


A couple of things stick out:

He died due to heart failure, not the fire. OK, but most likely he died because he had a heart attack when he realized he was on fire!

"Caplan said fires are known to occur in operating rooms although they were extremely rare."

Fires in operating rooms, sure. Fires on the body of the person being operated on?! I would hope not.

Not what I wanted to see when I'm due to have surgery in a couple days. :mad:

[Ksyrup]

Eh, the guy just had a mild case of heartburn. Nothing to be worried about.

[sterlingice]

I frickin' loved that game. Seriously, they need to make one of those built-in joystick games that you just plug into the TV for that. I'd throw away my PS2.
Sure, it's not the same thing, but NBA Street (particularly Vol 2) is as much fun as I've had with a basketball game since NBA Jam TE.

SI

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

It ould be a case of spontaneous combustion.

[sterlingice]

Scully: Spontaneous Human Combustion.
Mulder: (in disbelief) Scully.
Scully: Well isn't that where you're going with this?
Mulder: "Dear Diary, today my heart leapt when Agent Scully suggested Spontaneous Human Combustion".

SI

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Eh, the guy just had a mild case of heartburn. Nothing to be worried about.

Who are you, the doctor on Arrested Development???

[Ksyrup]

Who are you, the doctor on Arrested Development???
Sorry, I don't get it. I'm one of the millions who refuses to watch that show for no good reason, causing it to eventually be canceled.

[vex]

"Seattle police launched an investigation on Friday to determine how a patient undergoing emergency heart surgery caught on fire at a local hospital in 2003."


Good question, let's read the next paragraph:


"The male patient, who was not identified, went up in flames after alcohol poured on his skin was ignited by a surgical instrument."