Surgery fires increase: new guidelines being drafted

The words surgery and fire generally do not belong in the same sentence, but with surgical fires still happening in pretty decent numbers, the American Society of Anesthesiologists wants to form a battle plan to prevent them from happening in the first place.

In many cases, oxygen used in operating rooms can be sparked by tools and other objects, creating an immediate fire hazard in a place where patients need acute care rather than exposure to possible fires.

It's amazing that the number of fires related to actual surgical procedures are not required to be reported or tracked (yet), but all that may change this fall. Yes, they are rare, but the one time it happens can be life-threatening. Isn't that enough for change?