Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-9pm4c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T05:30:11.525Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Response to a Fire Incident in the Operation Room: A Cautionary Tale

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2019

Raman Sharma ,
Ashok Kumar  and
Vipin Koushal
Raman Sharma
Affiliation:
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Hospital Administration, Chandigarh, India.
Ashok Kumar
Affiliation:
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Hospital Administration, Chandigarh, India.
Vipin Koushal
Affiliation:
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Hospital Administration, Chandigarh, India.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Health care facilities are always seen as places of haven and protection for managing external incidents, but situations become difficult and challenging when such facilities themselves are affected by internal hazards. Such incidents are arguably more disruptive than external incidents, because patients are dependent on supportive measures and are neither in position to respond to such crisis situation nor do they know how to respond. Operating room fires are rare but potentially catastrophic, involving loss of costly resources and possibly lives. This case report details a true operating room fire incident in an emergency operating room and details the real-life challenges encountered by operating room staff in preserving both life and property. As a result of this work, precautionary measures may be implemented to mitigate such incidents. Careful coordination, continuous training, and fire drill exercises can improve the overall outcomes and minimize the possibility of these potentially fatal problems, thereby making a safer health care environment for every worker and patient.

Keywords

health carefireoperation theateroperation room
Type
Report from the Field
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , April 2020 , pp. 284 - 288
Copyright
© 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

World Health Organization; Pan American Health Organization; International Strategy for Disaster Reduction; World Bank. Hospitals safe from disasters: Reduce Risk, Protect Health Facilities, Save Lives. 2008. 2008–2009 World Disaster Reduction Campaign. http://safehospitals.info/images/stories/1WhySafeHosp/wdrc-2008-2009-information-kit.pdf. Published 2008. Accessed June 4, 2019.Google Scholar
Pan American Health Organization. Should a hospital be evacuated? Paper presented at: Hospitals in Disasters: Handle With Care; July 8-10, 2003; San Salvador. http://www.disaster-info.net/hospital_disaster/background.htm. Accessed June 4, 2019.Google Scholar
Dhaliwal, N, Bhogal, RS, Kumar, A, et al.Responding to fire in an intensive care unit: management and lessons learned. World J Emerg Med. 2018;9(2):154–156.Google Scholar
Bhogal, R, Gupta, A, Aggarwal, AK, et al.Innovative use of digital fire to improve fire-fighting skills in a tertiary care hospital. Int J Med Public Health. 2015;5:336–339.Google Scholar
American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Operating Room Fires; Caplan, RA, Barker, SJ, Connis, RT, et al.Practice advisory for the prevention and management of operating room fires. Anesthesiology. 2008;108(5):786–801.Google ScholarPubMed
Cavallini, M, Papagni, MF, Baruffaldi, P.Reis, FW. Fire disasters in the twentieth century. Ann Burns Fire Disasters. 2007;20(2):101–103.Google ScholarPubMed
Sanni-Anibire, MO, Hassanain, MA. An integrated fire safety assessment of a student housing facility. Struct Surv. 2015;33:354–371.Google Scholar
Chen, T, Pan, LH, Zhang, S, et al.Experimental study of evacuation from a 4-storey building. Procedia Eng. 2013;62:538–547.Google Scholar
Furness, A, Muckett, M. Introduction to Fire Safety Management. Oxford: ButterworthHeinemann; 2007:2.Google Scholar
Sharma, R, Sharma, M, Singh, R, et al.SWOT analysis of an earthquake mock drill: a case study. Int J Health Syst Disaster Manage. 2014;2(3):142–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christian, CK, Gustafson, ML, Roth, EM, et al.A prospective study of patient safety in the operating room. Surgery. 2006;139(2):159–173.Google ScholarPubMed
Association of periOperative Registered Nurses. AORN guidance statement: fire prevention in the operating room. AORN J. 2005;81(5):1067–1075.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeVito, PM, Zamora, R, Cicchillo, M. Fire in the OR: “all hands-on deck!” J Clin Case Rep. 2017;7(9):1023.Google Scholar
Jeffrey, L, Robert, A, Steven, J, et al.Practice advisory for the prevention and management of operating room fires: an updated report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists task force on operating room fires. Anesthesiology. 2013;118(2):271–290.Google Scholar
Yarmohammadian, MH, Alavi, A, Ahmadi, F, et al.An investigation of the status of preparedness and crisis management restrictions in hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Int J Health Syst Disaster Manage. 2016;4(1):58–62.Google Scholar
DeVito, PM, Zamora, R, Cicchillo, M. Fire in the OR: “all hands-on deck!” J Clin Case Rep. 2017;7(9):1023.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clarke, JR, Bruley, ME. Surgical fires: trends associated with prevention efforts. Pa Patient Saf Advis. 2012;9(4):130–135.Google Scholar
Cybulski, P. Evacuation of a critical care unit. Dynamics. 2003;14(3):21–23.Google ScholarPubMed
Aghababian, R. Hospital disaster planning. Top Emerg Med. 1986;7:46–53.Google ScholarPubMed
Cruickshank, KJ. Fire and evacuation planning in hospitals. Australas Nurses J. 1978;8:7–14.Google ScholarPubMed
National Building Code of India Part 4 Fire and Life Safety. http://www.ndrfandcd.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/file/F03.pdf. Accessed 2016.Google Scholar
Ramli, A, Akasah, ZA, Masirin, MIM. Factors contributing building safety and health performance of low cost housing in Malaysia. J Saf Eng. 2013;2(1):1–9.Google Scholar
Mydin, MAO. Human factors in fire safety management and prevention, Analele Universităłii. Eftimie Murgu. 2014;21:213–219.Google Scholar
Ebenehi, IY., Mohamed, S., Sarpin, N., et al. The management of building fire safety towards the sustainability of Malaysian public universities. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. 2017. doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/271/1/012034.Google Scholar
Nadzim, N, Taib, M. Appraisal of fire safety management systems at educational buildings. SHS Web of Conf. 2014; 11. doi: 10.1051/shsconf/20141101005.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howard, DJ, Kara-Zaitri, C. Fire safety management at passenger terminals. J Disaster Prev Manag. 1999;8:362–369.Google Scholar
Sharma, R, Jagota, R, Koushal, V. Study of knowledge, awareness and practices of infection control among ICU staff of a multispecialty tertiary level teaching institute of North India. J Health Manag. 2013;15(1):45–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar