Abstract
Airway fire resulting from igniting an endotracheal tube (ETT) with electrocautery or lasers has been widely discussed recently. Despite its rare incidence, it can lead to mortality or severe injury. We will present a case of an ETT fire caused by electrocautery during tracheostomy. In this case, the primary causes of fire were the pure oxygen used for ventilation and the high power electrocautery used for control of bleeding. In this report, we also discuss methods of prevention of an airway fire and emergency treatment when it occurs. Before making a decision to extubate the patient, we suggest (1) using water for ETT lavage in order to assure that there is no residual flame in the airway (2) using fibrobronchoscopy to check that the FiT lumen is not occluded and (3) weighing the benefits and risks of removing the burnt ETT. Despite of its rare occurrence, anesthesiologists and surgeons should keep emergency treatment of airway fires in mind and be aware of methods of prevention.
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