Fire in the surgical center.
OBJECTIVE
There are several factors in operating rooms that increase the risk of fire. Besides being an oxygen-enriched environment, it contains combustible materials and equipment with available ignition sources. Although fires in operating rooms are a relatively rare event, the consequences are potentially serious and mostly avoidable. We present a case report of a fire occurring in the surgical drape during a blepharoplasty in which oxygen was supplemented by nasal catheter.


METHODS
Female patient, 52-years old, without comorbidities, admitted to hospital for a bilateral blepharoplasty. After monitoring and venoclysis, the patient underwent intravenous sedation and additional oxygen given via spectacle-type catheter at a flow rate of4 L.min(-1), followed by local anesthesia in the eyelids. During surgery, the use of electric scalpel provoked combustion in the surgical drapes and burns on the patient's face.


CONCLUSIONS
Anesthesiologists play an important role preventing fire in operating rooms, as they can recognize possible ignition sources and rationally administer the oxygen, especially in open systems. The first step toward prevention is to be constantly aware of potential fire.
Anesthesiology Service, Hospital Universitário Cassiano Antônio Moraes, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil. cedalmeida@terra.com.br
Carlos Eduardo David
CE
de Almeida
Erick Freitas
EF
Curi
Renato
R
Brezinscki
Rafaela Claudino
RC
de Freitas
D019882:Blepharoplasty; D002056:Burns / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008875:Middle Aged; D009873:Operating Rooms