Inflammable antiseptics and theatre fires.

Area of Science:

• Medical Safety
• Surgical Fire Prevention
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Surgical fires are a rare but serious risk.
• Antiseptics are commonly used on patient skin prior to surgical procedures.
• Electrosurgical devices like diathermy and cautery generate significant heat.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the ignition potential of skin antiseptics when exposed to surgical cautery or diathermy.
• To identify specific antiseptic types and conditions that increase fire risk during surgery.

Main Methods:

• Experimental testing of various antiseptics (alcohol-based, iodine, nobecutane) exposed to simulated cautery and diathermy heat.
• Assessment of ignition temperatures and explosive potential under different atmospheric conditions (e.g., increased oxygen, nitrous oxide).

Main Results:

• Hot wire cautery and diathermy readily ignited all tested alcohol-based antiseptics, even at 20% alcohol concentration.
• Iodine solutions showed explosive potential with nitrous oxide.
• Nobecutane exhibited explosive behavior in the presence of nitrous oxide or elevated oxygen levels.

Conclusions:

• Alcohol-based antiseptics pose a significant ignition risk when used with diathermy or cautery.
• Alternative antiseptic solutions (aqueous-based) or thorough drying of spirit-based agents are recommended.
• Awareness and procedural changes are crucial for preventing surgical fires related to antiseptic use.