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Aug 12, 2008 5:50 pm US/Central
Health Dept.: Woman's Face Caught Fire In Surgery
(WCCO)
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The Minnesota Hospital Association shares stories like this with 138 hospitals in the state in hopes of keeping them from happening again.
CBS
The Minnesota Health Department said a woman's face caught fire during an operation at Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis two months ago. She suffered first and second-degree burns before doctors could douse the flames.
The report from the Health Department shows 10 minutes later the woman was sedated again and the procedure resumed.
The investigation that followed found oxygen pooled beneath the draped sterile sheets and the heat from the cauterizing tool near her nose tube was the heat it needed to spark.
The Minnesota Hospital Association shares stories like this with 138 hospitals in the state in hopes of keeping them from happening again.
"These things shouldn't happen but when they do happen the important thing is to focus on the learning experience and the corrective action that can come from the event and to engage in further prevention strategies for the future," said David Feinwichs, General Counsel for Minnesota Hospital Association.
Abbott Northwestern said in a statement, "In light of this event we have carefully reevaluated our fire safety procedures to identify opportunities to put additional safeguards in place to further protect patients."
The hospital was cited with 13 safety violations, not all because of the fire.
The woman has recovered from her burns. She was kept in the hospital for two days.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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