Fire Prevention and Safety During Surgical Procedures

It is impossible to completely fireproof the operating room. Steps can be taken, however, to minimize the fire risk. The first is to assemble an interdisciplinary team to assess the fire safety status of the practice setting. The team should include representatives from the surgical staff, nursing and anesthesia. The team will then help review and revise policies for fire safety and enforcement. An assessment of the practice setting should include the following:

assessment of the flammability characteristics of all products used in the operating room;
review of patient preparation protocols to include use of prepping agents and bowel preparation
observation of cases in progress for potentially hazardous behaviors such as

failure to use a non-conductive safety holster,
the use of dry sponges in oxygen-enriched atmospheres, and
altering medical devices, such as using red rubber catheters and other materials to insulate electrode tips

Consider assigning a fire-risk assessment score, such as the one published in January 2006 O.R. Manager, which assesses the components of the fire triangle present in each surgical procedure.

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