A 29-year-old mother of three went in to the operating room to have some growths removed from her head and emerged with burns on her face and neck after an unexpected flash-fire.
Kim Grice’s mother Ann had been waiting for her in the lobby of North Okaloosa Medical Center in Crestview, Florida, when emergency medical and fire department crews came through the door.
“Something went bad wrong and my daughter is now in a burn unit with burn specialists and I still don’t know what happened,” she said.
Emergency crews airlifted Kim to the University of South Alabama Medical Center for treatment.
What happened to Kim is more common that people might think. According to experts, approximately 650 fires flare up in operating rooms around the country each year. This is every bit as frightening as it sounds, because while some patients escape with scars, others die from burns and smoke inhalation.
Surgical fires are rare events, according to the FDA, but they are also highly preventable. The government organization put together a workshop to look for ways to stop fires from happening and to give medical personnel the ability to deal with a fire if it does occur.
Have you or someone you know been burned in a surgical fire?
Gerber Law Group P.A. – Sarasota injury attorneys
[...] twice in the same week is disturbing. The Gerber Law Group discussed this incident recently, and mentioned the fact that the FDA is looking at ways to prevent these kinds of accidents. We hope they are [...]