Patient Safety Topics
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Surgical/Procedural — Fires
Overview

​​​​​​​​​​​​Fires on the operating field are rare events that should never happen, but do. They are dangerous not only to the patient but to the operating room (OR) team members as well. Surgical fires remain a significant enough risk to justify use of a Fire Risk Assessment Score and adherence to the recommendations of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Operating Room Fires and those of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation.

Educational Tools

Airway Fires During Surgery
Airway surgeries that involve ignition sources to cut or coagulate tissue pose a significant and sometimes deadly risk of fire. This poster discusses ways to minimize and fight airway fires.

Multimedia
Update on Clinical Guidance for Surgical Fire Prevention and Management
Safety Tips for Patients