A Second Person's Face Catches Fire During Surgery

December 6. 2011

Tommy Beams

Another person's face has caught fire during surgery, the second in less than a week. Tommy Beams was undergoing an operation at Grays Hospital in Seattle Washington, when his face was accidentally set on fire by the surgical team. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center with second degree burns. Beams recounted his traumatic experience on television, speaking of looking at himself in the mirror for the first time with extensive burns and becoming distressed. He also stated, "The physical pain is tremendous."

It is widely accepted the presence of a cauterizing tool (heat/flame), isopropyl alcohol on the patient's skin sterilization and oxygen, via the mask or tube, is responsible for the fire. Is the isopropyl alcohol not dried into the skin properly before surgery. Are oxygen tubes less likely to cause fires in said environment than oxygen masks, which create a vacuum over the nose and mouth (or vice versa). Statistics indicate 600 fires occur during surgery each year, but detailed data has not been released for full comparison and hypothesis (some of the information may violate patient privacy).

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Washington man's face catches fire during routine surgical procedure