Operating Room Fire

Our plaintiff was undergoing a routine outpatient surgery at a local hospital for excision of earlobe keloid scarring. During this surgery, a spontaneous fire occurred in the operating room resulting in severe burns to our client.

According to the attending physician, he was using electrocautery to stop bleeding on the earlobe. The oxygen mask used during the surgery was lying on plaintiff's chest. The oxygen was flowing from the mask beneath the surgical drapes. When the electrocautery was used it sparked the oxygen, causing the fire. Plaintiff suffered severe burn injuries over a significant portion of her body. She has now developed additional keloid scarring over multiple parts of her body, which will necessitate numerous surgeries throughout the remainder of her life.