Tech in Surgery Prep / Unit 9 TSC 201 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
The Fire Triangle in Surgery
The idea
A fire needs three things at once, fuel, an oxidizer and an ignition source, and an operating room almost always has all three.
In practice
Take each side in turn. First, fuel: anything that can burn, including drapes, sponges, gauze, alcohol-based skin preparations, ointments, body hair and the patient. Second, the oxidizer: oxygen, which in surgery is often enriched above room air, and nitrous oxide, which also feeds fire. Third, the ignition source: electrosurgical units, lasers, fiber-optic light cables, drills and other devices that produce heat or sparks. A surgical fire is a fire in, on or around a patient during a procedure, and it can happen in any procedural setting.
Where people slip
In an oxygen-enriched atmosphere, materials ignite more easily and burn more intensely, even materials labelled flame resistant. The FDA describes surgical fires as preventable, because their causes and solutions are known.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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