Florida Woman Catches on Fire during Operation

Medical & Hospital Mistakes

12/2/2011
Kay Van Wey
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Florida Woman Caught on Fire During Operation

Earlier this year, one of my former clients was featured on the Dallas CBS station in news story about his routine surgery that turned out to be anything but routine. Andre Velasquez was only seven years-old when he was caught on fire during a tonsillectomy.

The story brought to light what many patients are unaware of—the risk of surgical fires in even routine procedures.

Experts estimate that as many as 650 surgical fires occur every year. Unfortunately for one Florida mother, she has become yet another victim.

Kim Grice, a 29 year-old mother of three was caught on fire during a routine surgery to remove cysts from her head. Her burns were so bad that she had to be helicoptered from the outpatient surgery center in Crestview, Florida to a hospital in Alabama with a burn unit.

Ms. Grice experienced what is known as a flash fire, which caused burns on her face and neck. At this time, the cause of the fire is still being investigated.

For a surgical fire to occur, three elements must be present: an ignition source, a fuel source, and an oxidizer. According to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), “most surgical fires occur in oxygen-enriched environments, when the concentration of oxygen is greater than in ordinary room air.” During Ms. Grice’s operation, she was wearing a non-rebreathable oxygen mask.

According to a statement released by the North Okaloosa Medical Center and posted on the Crestview News Bulletin, the hospital said “we are conducting a thorough review to fully understand what happened in a deliberate effort to prevent such an event from occurring again. Our highest priority is always the safety of our patients.” Still, this is probably of little comfort to Ms. Grice and her family. Our thoughts go out to her and her family during this difficult time.

If you would like to learn more about surgical fires, download my free book Fire in the Operating Room: A Preventable Tragedy at www.vanweylaw.com.

Labels: Dallas medical malpractice attorney Dallas surgical fire attorney surgical fire surgical fire attorney triangle of fire

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