The family of a man in Oregon is demanding $900,000 from the hospital where his face caught on fire mid-surgery while he was allegedly awake.
The allegations are contained in a malpractice lawsuit filed by the wife of John Michael Murdoch against Oregon Health and Science University, as reported by the Oregonian. The lawsuit maintains Murdoch’s ordeal unfolded as he was undergoing surgery in 2022 while being treated for squamous cell carcinoma – a cancer of the tongue. Medical staff failed to let alcohol swabbed on his face dry properly, and his face ignited, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit recounts how Murdoch’s surgery was a tracheostomy, or a procedure to insert a breathing tube into his throat. To sterilize him for the operation, he had been swabbed with isopropyl alcohol. But the alcohol did not dry properly, and a spark from a surgical tool lit his skin on fire, the lawsuit said.
Viewed by the Oregonian, the lawsuit stated that Murdoch was “awake and conscious” when the fire started and was fueled by oxygen as well as isopropyl alcohol that had not evaporated. The tool had a history of sparking, the lawsuit contended.
Murdoch lived for six months after the surgery but died in June 2023. He was 52, his obituary said.
“This is a ‘never’ event,” attorney Ron Cheng – who is representing Murdoch’s widow, Toni, and filed the lawsuit in December – told the Oregonian. “It never should have happened.”
Although Murdoch’s surgical mishap did not kill him, he endured disfiguring scars, swelling and wounds that would not heal, Cheng said.
Cheng told the outlet that, although Murdoch could not speak clearly at the time, he was still able to convey the trauma he experienced from the burns to his wife.
A spokesperson for Oregon Health and Science University declined to provide a comment to the Oregonian, citing patient privacy laws. Defendants named in the lawsuit are the hospital; Dr Adam Howard, a physician whose medical license lapsed in January 2024; and 10 unnamed surgical staff.
The hospital’s spokesperson also reportedly said that Howard could not comment on the lawsuit, again citing patient privacy laws.
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The American College of Surgeons noted last year that operating rooms contain “perfect conditions for fire” due to ignition sources, oxygen and fuel. Electrosurgical devices cause about 70% of surgical fires in the US, according to the American College of Surgeons – and in 75% of the cases, oxygen-enriched environments were involved. Alcohol-based skin preparations were also “common fuel sources during surgical fires when not allowed to completely evaporate”.
From 1 January 2018 to 29 March 2023, 85 sentinel events related to fires or burns during surgery or a procedure were reported to the Joint Commission, an independent body that accredits hospitals.
The American College of Surgeons wrote that healthcare organizations can reduce fire risks by establishing processes and procedures that prevent dangerous interactions between oxygen, ignition sources and fuel. This includes providing training to staff on how to avoid and manage fires and maintaining local oxygen concentrations below 30% where possible.
English (US)