Woman Sues Minnesota Hospital Over Burn Injuries

Medical Malpractice-Legal

By: OSD Staff

Published: 12/23/2008

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The suit claims a fire broke out while she was undergoing an outpatient procedure.


A woman who suffered burns to her face during an outpatient procedure last year is suing the Minnesota hospital where the incident occurred, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

According to a lawsuit filed in Ramsey County District Court, a fire broke out under the surgical drapes while a surgeon was performing a lymph node biopsy on Karine Hernandez, 35, in December 2007. Ms. Hernandez, who was lying face-down on the operating table and was given local anesthesia during the procedure, "suffered significant burns to the right side of her face, nose and mouth," according to the suit, which does not explain what caused the fire. The Star Tribune reports that Ms. Hernandez and her husband are suing Regions Hospital for "in excess of $50,000 each."

OR fires are a rare but serious surgical hazard and pose significant safety risks to both patients and caregivers. To prevent the device failures and operator errors that can lead to patient burns and OR fires during electrosurgery, ECRI Institute???s Jim Keller recommends you focus staff training on four points:

  • the principles of electrosurgery, particularly how electrical current travels from the device to the patient and back again;

  • electrosurgery-related risks, including internal and external burns and surgical fires;

  • safety features, such as active electrode monitoring and return electrode monitoring; and

  • device inspection protocols to be carried out before each procedure.

    For a surgeon???s account of a surgical fire that left his patient with first- and second-degree burns — and the lessons he learned from that experience — see "When Surgery Sends Sparks Flying" from the April 2007 issue of OSM.

    —Irene Tsikitas

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