Causes and preventive measures for fire-related injuries in intensive care units: a systematic review

Intensive care unit (ICU) fires are a significant public health concern which often receives insufficient attention. However, they notoriously challenging to manage, with a high risk of casualties and substantial economic damage. Despite their severity, research on ICU fires remains scarce.

In this systematic review, we queried PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, and Web of Baidu Academic for studies on ICU or hospital fires published from the inception of each database to 5 July 2024. We then narratively summarised the causes of ICU fires and the details of ICU fire prevention and evacuation.

We examined 2602 articles, of which 30 met our inclusion criteria. We summarised the causes and injuries of 18 ICU fires. The most common causes were electrical faults and oxygen cylinder faults, while the prevention and response strategies for ICU fires included regular maintenance of electrical and oxygen equipment, installation of automatic fire fighting systems, reasonable arrangement of patient beds, vertical and horizontal evacuation route planning, online and offline fire safety training, and intelligent evacuation simulation.

We found that the primary causes of fires in ICUs are electrical malfunctions and oxygen-related incidents. It is essential to implement preventive measures such as regular inspection of electrical equipment, proper maintenance of wiring, and ensuring all oxygen systems are handled according to strict safety protocols. Additionally, ensuring that all ICU staff are adequately trained in emergency response protocols can significantly improve patient outcomes in the event of a fire.