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JCAHO Recommends ::

Healthcare organizations:

  • Educate surgeons / anesthesiologists / nurses about dangers of surgical fires
  • Develop / implement / test responses to fires
  • Report all fires to:
    - JCAHO
    - FDA
    - State Agencies
    - ECRI
    - Manufacturers

JCAHO 2003

In its 2003 Sentinel Event Alert on Preventing Surgical Fires, the joint commission recommended that health-care organizations help prevent fires by:

  1. Informing staff members, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, about the importance of controlling heat sources by following laser and ESU safety practices; managing fuels by allowing sufficient time for prep; and establishing guidelines for minimizing oxygen concentration under the drapes.
  2. Developing, implementing and testing procedures to ensure appropriate response to fires in the O.R. by all members of the surgical team.
Organizations are strongly encouraged to report all surgical fires as a means of raising awareness and ultimately preventing fires in the future. Reports can be made to JCAHO, ECRI, the FDA, state agencies and other organizations such as medical device manufacturers.

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