Fire in the operating room: principles and prevention

Fire is a rare but potentially disastrous operating room misadventure. In this article, the authors describe the elements of operating room fires and present an illustrative case. The risk of fire can be minimized when the operating room team understands the interactions among the three sides of the classic fire triangle: oxidizers, fuels, and ignition sources. Lists of fire prevention techniques and steps to take in the event of an operating room fire are provided.