Patient's fart in surgery causes fire, severe burns

Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/10/31/patients-fart-in-surgery-cau.html

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Do you smell gas?

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Having lit a fart or two in my day, I call BS.

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Well, given that I already have to fast before surgery this is going to mean new rules all over the place…

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No baked beans for at least two days before.

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Engineers from Soylent were unavailable for comment.

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Wait a minute; “eventually(?)”

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Since it was in Japan…

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How did I get to this thread before @Donald_Petersen?

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He’s still in recovery?

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Oh no there might have been pure oxygen around as well. If it is being inhaled then it is being exhaled into the room. I read about a patient having throat surgery who caught fire because he was being given oxygen.

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I share @Mister44’s scepticism about the small amount of methane being the major culprit; but ‘surgical fires’ are most definitely a thing; often thanks to the various gasses involved in anesthesia, as you note.

As the line “Fuel source (e.g., surgical drapes, alcohol-based skin preparation agents, the patient)” suggests; You Do Not Want one to happen to you.

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Sh, you smell that?

Edit:

Seems today is the anniversary of when I joined the Happy Mutants. I have a cake!

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but ‘surgical fires’ are most definitely a thing;

Absolutely. Cauterizer plus alcohol is always a popular combination.

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“We’re sorry to bother you while you are recovering, but we’d like to discuss a financial opportunity with you. Are you familiar with gene patenting?”

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More than likely there was no fart; somebody just left something in the way of the laser that caught fire, like the cover thingie with the hole in it, creating a panic which in turn resulted in burnt curtains.

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Sounds more like some kind of perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. A fart would be pretty far away from the surgical field.

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So that’s what it means! I asked BB but got no reply. I guess it’s an intelligence test. :confused:

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I was on the mix stage… but I’m awfully glad you brought my attention to it! :heart_eyes:

I agree that it was perfectly plausible with the presence of oxygen plus biomethane, but mostly because I want it to be true. Not that she was injured, no, that was wholly regrettable and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

But a small, evil, nasty part of me wants us all to worry about farts during laser surgery.

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