Airway Fire

Abstract An airway fire is a surgical fire that occurs in a patient’s airway and may or may not include a fire in the attached breathing circuit. It is estimated that 217 to 650 operating room fires occur each year in the United States, with as many as 5% to 10% associated with serious injury or death. Airway fires are particularly harmful to patients, constituting approximately 21% of all surgical fires and the majority of surgical fires that result in death. A fire requires three components known as the “fire triad”: an oxidizer, an ignition source, and a fuel. The earliest signs of a fire are seeing a flash, hearing a pop, or smelling smoke. The major steps in the management of an airway fire are to extinguish the fire, stabilize the patient, and assess the patient’s airway for fire damage to decide whether the patient needs to be intubated and remain intubated.