Patient badly burned during surgical error
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
August 20, 2008
A patient who was getting her pacemaker replaced at Abbot Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, MN, caught on fire during surgery, reports The Star Tribune.
The patient's lips, face, and shoulder caught on fire after a surgeon using a cauterizing tool improperly used it too close to the patient's nose tube and oxygen had collected in the patient's sterile drapes. The surgeon's actions violated safety precautions. The hospital reported the incident to the state health department. The patient, who suffered first and second degree burns, was kept in the hospital for two days after the incident.
The report filed to the state health department says that those involved have been reeducated on hospital safety protocol.
To read the article, click here.
