When undergoing a procedure in the hospital, the last thing most patients suspect would be sustaining burns from medical equipment or carelessness of the medical staff.
Thankfully, such instances are rare, but they do occur. As the WSJ reports, the oxygen-rich environment of an operating room can increase the risk of flames, from say, a stray spark of an electrocautery device.
Furthermore, medication patches, like nicotine or fentanyl patches, can generate skin-burning heat when patients undergo MRIs.
Scary stuff, and hospitals are just now acknowledging the risk and taking preventive measures.
Patients, however, can take their own precautions: “Before entering an MRI machine, remove nicotine patches or patches containing pain drugs such as fentanyl, which can ignite in the machine. Also check that headphones or video goggles aren’t damaged. Tattoos containing iron oxide can heat up to cause minor burns. Before surgery, ask what fire-prevention strategies are in use.”
Related posts:
- Remember to remove medication patches prior to your MRI
- A patient dies after doctors fail to communicate in the operating room
- Are patients looking up quality data before a doctor or hospital visit?
- Is The Dark Knight’s Two-Face a realistic depiction of third-degree burns?
- The dynamics between the surgeon and anesthesiologist in the operating room
- A hospital patient spent seven hours repairing hospital machinery so his procedure could go ahead
- Inside the operating room with Sanjay Gupta, America’s most famous neurosurgeon
{ 2 comments }
In ACLS they have been teaching this for at least a couple of revisions. Some of the instructors suggest turning off the oxygen for each defibrillation, but just making sure that the oxygen is not pointing toward the paddles/pads is enough.
Anesthesia does deal with some gasses that are more flammable than oxygen.
“Before surgery, ask what fire-prevention strategies are in use.”
And what if the answer is, “Uh, none, I guess.” Or “Gee, I don’t know.”
What should the patient do then? Refuse the procedure? Bring his/her own personal fire extinguisher to the hospital?
The more I read, the more deeply scary it is to contemplate undergoing any kind of medical intervention whatsoever.
Comments on this entry are closed.