The Joint Commission (TJC) recently published a Sentinel Event Alert newsletter with updated information about preventing surgical fires. It states, "Surgical fires can be prevented by creating awareness of and carefully monitoring elements of the “fire triangle:” 1) oxygen, 2) ignition sources and 3) fuel."
The Alert also includes details about six suggested actions to prevent surgical fires. The suggested action topics are:
- Ensure that the time-out includes a robust fire risk assessment (FRA) for each surgical and endoscopic procedure.
- Anesthesia should maintain the local oxygen concentration at less than 30%, whenever possible.
- Carefully manage electrosurgical devices, light sources and cables, surgical draping, and other risks during a procedure.
- Provide training to operating room staff on how to avoid and manage fires and conduct fire drills.
- Report all surgical fires into your facility’s incident reporting system.
- Encourage education of all operating room personnel/team members about the risk of surgical fires.
To learn more about this updated TJC guidance, read this Sentinel Event Alert.
