title: Auricular burns associated with operating microscope use during otologic surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To raise awareness of the potential hazard of auricular burns associated with operating microscope use during otologic surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective case series and summary of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database of voluntary adverse event reports pertaining to microscope related auricular thermal injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients who sustained auricular burns while using the operating microscope during otologic surgery at 2 tertiary academic referral centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgical procedure, microscope model, intensity of illumination, length of procedure, focal length, location and severity of burn, and patient outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 4 microscope-related auricular thermal injuries were identified from the authors' institutions. Additionally, 82 unique cases of soft tissue burns associated with the use of an operative microscope have been voluntarily reported to the FDA since 2004. A disproportionately large percent (∼ 30%) of these occurred within the field of otology, the majority of which were during tympanoplasty or tympanomastoidectomy procedures at focal length distances of 300 mm or less with xenon light source microscopes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Simultaneous advancements in light delivery technologies and lens optics have continued to improve the efficiency of the operating microscope; however, these improvements also increase the potential for thermal injuries. Although rare, a review of the FDA MAUDE database suggests that microscope-related soft tissue burns occur more frequently in otology than any other surgical specialty. A variety of factors may help explain this finding, including the unique anatomy of the external ear with thin skin and limited underlying adipose tissue. Preventative measures should be taken to decrease the risk of thermal injuries including use of the lowest comfortable light intensity, adjusting the aperture width to match the operative field, frequent wound irrigation, and covering exposed portions of the pinna with a moist surgical sponge.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; and †Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Latuska
authors.forename: Matthew L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Neff
authors.forename: Colin L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Driscoll
authors.forename: George B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Wanna
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Haynes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002056:Burns / Q000209:etiology*; D054644:Ear Auricle; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy; D013506:Otologic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation