oxygen in the surgical field.
6. Where do most surgical fires occur?
a. near the patient's face
b. near the patient's feet
c. away from the OR table
d. at the patient's mid-section
a. Though oxygen is always present in
the OR's air, an abundance of it increas-
es the risk of a surgical fire. When giv-
ing a patient supplemental oxygen,
especially with a nasal cannula or other
open oxygen source, stop the flow of
oxygen or decrease it to the lowest pos-
sible percentage before activating the
energy-generating device, especially if
the surgery is occurring in the vicinity
of the head, face or neck, says Mr.
Burlingame. Also keep moist sponges
near the surgical site and make sure
you have a solution ready on the back table to extinguish a surgical
fire if one does occur.
7. Which is an electrosurgical risk for the OR staff?
a. tripping over cords
b. surgical smoke inhalation
c. eye injuries caused by lasers
d. all of the above
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 8 9
• FIRE TRIANGLE Stop oxygen flow or
decrease it to the lowest possible percentage
before activating the energy-generating device
if the surgery is occurring in the vicinity of the
head, face or neck.
