VPNG State Conference 2009
Sandra de Rome - Deakin
Dave McCurdy - MFB

You are circulating for a patient undergoing a
laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Disposable drapes are in use

The light lead is disconnected from the telescope and
accidently placed on the drapes

The intense light ignites the drapes

Smoke begins to quickly fill the room

How will you respond?

Switch off the electricity at the wall

Extinguish the fire if safe to do so

Press the emergency button

Call the emergency number, state your name,
location and code red

Advise the Floor Manager of the situation

Prepare an additional operating room


Transfer the patient on the operating table, while
being manually ventilated, to another room to
complete surgery
Keep the doors closed as much as possible to
contain smoke
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


How would you evacuate your Operating
Suite?
How can you account for all staff, patients,
visitors, students, medical representatives,
etc in the Operating Suite?
Which exits would you use?
What is the best process to use when
checking all rooms have been evacuated?


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Is the hospital co-located with another
hospital?
Ambulances may be required to transport
patients to nearby hospitals
Transferring a patient:
◦ With an open surgical wound
◦ An anaesthetised patient

Process for recording where patients are
evacuated to & informing concerned relatives

Who is the ‘Fire Warden’ in your Operating Suite

What is their role?

What is the internal phone number to notify the
hospital of an emergency?

In every area of the Operating Suite, how would
you evacuate to safety?

Do you know the location of all Emergency
Alarms in every operating room and recovery?



How does a ‘Fire Door’ operate to protect staff /
patients
If you rely on ‘swipe cards’ to access the
Operating Suite, are these deactivated in a fire
situation? Why?
Do you know the location of:
◦
◦
◦
◦
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All
All
All
All
All
gas isolation valves – what are these?
switchboards in the operating suite
break glass alarms
Warden Intercom Phones (WIP)
exits

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What burning substances can you extinguish
with a CO2 fire extinguisher?
Can you efficiently use a fire extinguisher?
Operating Suites are usually divided into
‘compartments’ – how are these utilised in a
fire emergency?



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Immediate: from an operating room to a corridor
Lateral: from an area of threat to a safe area i.e.
behind a smoke door
Partial: from the Operating Suite to another part
of the hospital (provided it is not under threat)
Total: controlled evacuation from the Operating
Suite to an Evacuation Point outside the hospital



ACORN Standards for Perioperative Nursing (2008):
Australian College of Operating Room Nurses Ltd.,
Adelaide, South Australia
J. Rothrock, (Ed) (2007), Alexanders Care of the Patient
in Surgery, (13thed). St Louis, MO: Mosby.
Hogan, C. (2002). Responding to a Fire at a Paediatric
Hospital: AORN, Vol. 75(4)