While on the operating table, a man's face covered in alcohol, ignited, burning him while still alive, a lawsuit alleges.
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While having surgery on his throat, John Michael Murdoch had his face swabbed with alcohol. He was alive and conscious during the surgery. It was a procedure to install a tracheostomy in his neck. This breathing hole was to help with a tongue cancer he was suffering from.
But, during the procedure, a spark from the surgery jumped to his face. The tool ignited the still-wet alcohol. He lay there, burning on the operating table, as surgeons attempted to put him out.
According to the lawsuit, Murdoch was left traumatized and permanently disfigured until he died six months later. The lawsuit is looking for $900,000 for the malpractice and damages caused.
Face Fire During Surgery Should Never Have Happened
Apparently, according to the Emergency Care Research Institute, there are between 90 to 100 surgical fires a year in the US. The use of flammable cleaning alcohol can easily be ignited by the sparks from surgical tools.
The burnt face from the surgery fire of Murdoch is just one of many. The situation in which the surgeries happen is the perfect tinder box for a fire. Being awake for the treatment must have made the situation even more stressful.
The lawsuit claims that by the time of his death, Murdoch had never fully healed from the trauma and damage to his face. Six months should be enough time for minor burns to heal, but it appears these may have been significantly worse. He struggled to speak after the surgery, but he managed to lament to his wife, apparently.
The hospital has been unwilling to comment on the situation due to the ongoing lawsuit and patient confidentiality. But, with so many cases every year, you have to wonder how there aren't more measures in place to prevent such a terrifying thing happening.
Surgery is bad enough without worrying about your face setting fire. There have been many cases of people waking up or suffering mistakes on the operating table, including some people having more removed than they expected.
