A patient’s fart during a surgical procedure has allegedly sparked a fire which resulted in her to be seriously burnt, reports say.
According to Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, the incident took place at Tokyo Medical University Hospital in April 2016 and a committee of external experts was convened to examine what had happened to cause the injuries.
Asahi Shimbun said that a report released on October 28 found the patient, in her 30s, was undergoing an operation that involved applying a laser to her cervix. Supposedly the laser ignited from gas she passed and resulted in a fire that burned much of her body, including her waist and legs.
The hospital experts looking at the case say that there were no flammable materials in the operating room during the surgery and the procedure until that point was functioning normally.
“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 report said.
It’s understood passing wind while under anaesthesia is quite common as the body’s muscles are relaxed.
This incident follows a similar report in Denmark where a 30-year-old man allegedly set his genitals alight after passing wind while having mole removed from his buttocks.
Surgeons at the Danish hospital reportedly said: “It was an unfortunate accident.”
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