Fire Risks in Airway Procedures: A Clinical Review of Proactive Prevention and Emergency Response

Surgical airway fires are an uncommon but particularly morbid complication of airway surgery. Key to understanding prevention and management of airway fires is understanding of the "fire triangle," the combination of oxidizer, ignition source, and fuel through which a fire becomes possible. Standardized careful discussion during surgical time-out of fire risk during an airway procedures is paramount to preventing a potentially deadly airway fire from occurring. Should an airway fire occur, steps should be taken to immediately extinguish the fire, then the airway should be re-established and the patient stabilized.