Surgical Fire: Where, Why, and What to Do.

A surgical fire is a fire that occurs on or in a patient. It is an emergency for it can result in devastating consequences. The operating room (OR) team needs to be aware of the possibility of the same and of the protocol to be followed if an unfortunate incident does occur. The present review discusses the constituents of the fire triad/triangle that are constantly present in any OR, namely the oxidizer, ignition source and the fuel, and their role in the causation of a surgical fire. Furthermore, safeguards to mitigate the risk of a surgical fire are elaborated on along with the fire algorithms on the topic. Some case examples of actual published incidents are also presented. Surgical fire is totally preventable if due care is taken and everyone in the OR team is abreast with the fire protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]