This surgery sounds like a total nightmare. According to a new Tokyo Medical University Hospital report, a patient’s fart during surgery apparently caused a fire that led to serious burns on her body.
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The fart-fire incident originally occurred all the way back in April, but a report was just released on October 28 by a committee of “outside experts” who looked at the case and determined there were no flammable materials in the operation room during the surgery, according to Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun.
The patient, who was in her 30s, was receiving an operation at the Tokyo Medical University Hospital in Shinjuku Ward that involved using a laser to perform surgery. According to a report from the hospital, “When the patient’s intestinal gas leaked into the space of the operation [room], it ignited with the irradiation of the laser, and the burning spread, eventually reaching the surgical drape and causing the fire.”
The committee also determined that the equipment used in the operation was functioning normally, so it couldn’t possibly be to blame during this unfortunate incident. So, if you’re ever in the situation where you need to undergo laser surgery, maybe try eating something light before the doctors put you under.
[Asahi Shimbun via Boing Boing]