A laser surgery procedure has spread like jungle fire across the internet for all the wrong reasons. As reported by the Tokyo Medical University Hospital in Shinjuku Ward, a laser operation took an “explosive” turn when a patient caused a fire in the operating theatre after she passed gas during her laser surgery.
The accident happened back in April but has just been made public by a team of external experts after they conducted a thorough investigation and concluded that the fire most probably started due to the gas passed by the patient, which then combusted due to the surgical laser.
The woman, who is in her 30’s, chose to remain anonymous. She was undergoing a laser surgery on her cervix, the lower part of the uterus when the ill-timed intestinal gas leakage occurred setting the surgical drape ablaze by reacting with the radiation of the laser.
The report released by the experts stated,
“When the patient’s intestinal gas leaked into the space of the operation (room), it ignited with the irradiation of the laser, and the burning spread, eventually reaching the surgical drape and causing the fire.”
Unfortunately, the incident was no laughing matter, as the woman suffered burns on much of her body, including her waist and legs. The researchers were confident on the gas leakage being the cause of the fire as they found no flammable materials in the operation room at the time of the accident. They also iterated that all the equipment for the operation was functioning normally, which means that the hospital just might be able to escape the ensuing lawsuit.
