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During the period of April 2003 to February 2005 Tyco Healthcare Valleylab kept statistics on the number of surgical fires reported by health-care facilities. A total of 51 fires were reported:

• 18 involved pencils, drapes, lap and other sponges that caught on fire
• 15 were located on the head, neck or face
• 9 airway fires were in the mouth, airway and tonsils
• 7 involved patients’ upper torso, arms and back
• 2 were on the rectal or perineal area

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