| Title | Burn during a routine pterygium excision operation. | | Author(s) | Naftali M, Jabaly-Habib H, Mukari A | | Institution | Department of Ophthalmology, Pade Hospital, Poria -Israel. | | Source | Eur J Ophthalmol 2008 Jul-Aug; 18(4):639-40. | | Abstract | Purpose. To report a patient who sustained a spark fire burn during a routine pterygium operation. Methods. A 40-year-old woman was referred for pterygium excision in her left eye. During the operation a low temperature cautery caused a spark fire that resulted in left eye corneal burn, upper and lower eyelid burns, and melting of eyelashes and eyebrows bilaterally.
Results. Topical antibiotics and vitamin C followed by topical corticosteroids were given. After 1 week the corneal epithelium healed but a paracentral corneal opacity developed. Two months later on last follow-up visit, a mild diffuse corneal opacity was still seen. The combination of three elements found in most routine (ophthalmologic) surgical fields-an enriched oxygen environment with the high temperature transmitted by the electrocautery in the vicinity of hair-might explain the event.
Conclusions. Surgeons should try to separate these three elements or eliminate any of them, in order to minimize or prevent such events. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 18609490 |
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