title: Surgical field fire during a repair of bronchoesophageal fistula.
abstract: Most surgical fires involve the airway but they can also occur in the surgical field. Herein, we report an intraoperative fire in the surgical field during repair of a bronchoesophageal fistula. During the portion of the surgery after the fistula was divided and the bronchus was open to atmosphere, continuous positive airway pressure was applied to the nondependent lung, and in conjunction with the use of electrocautery and dry sponges in the field, resulted in a fire. Anesthesia for thoracic surgery carries unique risks of fire because these patients frequently require large oxygen concentrations, special interventions for improving oxygenation, and have variable degrees of airway disruption. This report highlights unique safety concerns during anesthesia for thoracic surgery, and addresses more general safety issues relating to fire risk in all surgical patients.
authors.affiliation: Departments of *Anesthesia and Critical Care, and †Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Aneesh K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Singla
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Campagna
authors.forename: Cameron D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Warren S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Sandberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation; D001983:Bronchial Fistula / Q000601:surgery*; D005390:Fires; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008297:Male; D009873:Operating Rooms; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D014138:Tracheoesophageal Fistula / Q000601:surgery*