In a strange turn of events, a woman suffered severe burns after one of her farts started a fire inside the operating room.
The gas ignited the laser used during the surgery
The woman, aged 30, was undergoing surgery to her cervix at the Tokyo Medical University Hospital when she passed gas, which ignited the laser that was being used during the surgery.
According to the report, “When the patient’s intestinal gas leaked into the space of the operation [room], it ignited with the irradiation of the laser, and the burning spread, eventually reaching the surgical drape and causing the fire.”
The fire burnt most of her body, waist, and legs. Reports add that there were no flammable materials in the operating room and that all of the equipment was functioning normally.
The story doesn’t quite add up
Dr. Michael Zadeh, an L.A. based surgeon, said that there are some things about the story that don’t quite add up.
In an interview with the Huffington Post, Dr. Zadeh shares that “I perform a lot of colorectal and anal surgeries and this has never happened. It would take more than the usual amount of methane in the colon to cause such severe injury.”
“All instances that I have heard of have involved cases of bowel obstruction where there is a build-up of methane gas. I doubt that this was the only factor in the story,” he adds.
While surgical fires can and do actually happen, this is the first time that passing gas has been reported as the cause of a fire inside an operating room.
Do a lot of accidents happen inside the operating room?
The fact is, accidents can sometimes happen inside the operating room. However, hospitals as well as doctors have been taking steps in order to make sure that accidents can be avoided as much as possible. These steps include using checklists to make sure that everything is done correctly.
Additionally, communication and team building are important things that hospitals now focus on. Good communication and team building alongside proper training can go a long way when it comes to preventing accidents.
What can patients do?
While not all accidents can be prevented, we can still take some steps in order to reduce the chances that a surgery can go wrong. Here are some things that you can do:
- Ask questions. It’s important to read the fine print on any hospital form and make sure to talk to your doctor and go through the entire procedure with them.
- If you have any fears or concerns, don’t be afraid to voice them out. It’s totally fine to have second thoughts about a procedure, and you should tell your doctor about it.
- Know your doctor. It’s very important to get to know your doctor well since they will be the one conducting the procedure.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for a second opinion. If you think that a specific procedure is too risky or you wish to undergo a different procedure, you should ask another doctor for a second opinion.
READ: Twins conjoined at the head finally separated after 16 hour surgery
Sources: nypost.com, medicaldaily.com, huffingtonpost.com, hhnmag.com, articles.latimes.com
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