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O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | M A R C H 2 0 1 5
Procedure location. The surgeon and anes-
thesia provider alert the team if the pro-
cedure will be performed above the xiphoid
or with any planned breach of the airway or
pleural cavity, locations where the elements
of the fire triangle could easily combine.
Oxidizing agents. The anesthesia provider
discusses the potential for an airway
leak, warns the team if open oxygen delivery
is planned and discusses the need to tent
drapes to prevent oxygen buildup.
Growing awareness
Our revamped protocols alert staff and sur-
geons to potential issues at the beginning of
the case, but also help ensure they follow
through on the concerns during the proce-
dure. There are no guarantees, but we
believe a richer, fuller discussion brings more attention to the true
dangers of surgical fires.
We rolled out the enhanced time-out process last December with
educational in-services conducted across the health system. We
streamed a how-to video to 6 hospitals where anesthesia providers,
surgeons, nurses and scrub techs reviewed the video on the same
day.
Once the revamped fire safety protocols went live, staff champi-
ons who were involved in the planning of the new protocols
swarmed the ORs to observe time outs and coach surgical teams
on what we wanted to see happening. We gave the teams a few
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S A F E T Y
5 OR Advances That
Have Increased Fire Risk
These 5 advances in OR technolo-
gy have increased the fire risk to
patients and staff, says Troy
Thurmond, RN, BSN, the director
of surgical services at St. Vincent's
Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla.
1. flammable alcohol-based
prep solutions
2. surgical lasers
3. light sources and
heat-inducing devices
4. improved OR insulation that
maintains oxygen at higher
levels
5. the move from cloth to
paper drapes and gowns
