A May 1 WJZ-TV (Baltimore, Md.) investigative report on the occurrence of surgical fires featured the recently released ASA Practice Advisory for the Prevention and Management of Operating Room Fires.
ASA member John A. Ulatowski, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Anesthesiology and Critical Care Department at Johns Hopkins Hospital was interviewed for the segment and explained the “fire triangle” or elements of an oxidizer, ignition source and fuel and required for an operating room fire to occur
Recommendations from the ASA advisory including advising anesthesiologists to reduce the amount of oxygen given to patients when surgeons are using an ignition source were highlighted in the segment.
