Kira Reed was set on fire during her cesarean section delivery
A New York doctor has been cleared of negligence after one of his patients caught fire during a cesarean section delivery.
Kira Reed suffered a seven-inch-long burn on her side two years ago when an alcohol-based antiseptic applied to her skin was accidentally ignited by a medical device.
The fire was put out quickly and her baby was fine, but she sued over the injury, sustained at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse.
The 43-year-old university professor reached an out-of-court settlement with the hospital, but The Post-Standard of Syracuse reports that a jury rejected a negligence claim this week against obstetrician Stephen Brown.
Brown's lawyer says the jury's decision was appropriate.
Surgical fires are rare, but do happen occasionally when hot devices touch disinfectant solutions before the alcohol has a chance to evaporate.
Speaking at the time Reed described how she began to smell burning as she lay on the operating table.
'I could not come up with the word for what I was smelling,' she told the Post-Standard. 'It did not smell like anything recognizable.'
Groggy from the anesthetic, she managed to form the words: 'I smell burning,' but was told it was 'nothing to worry about.'
It happened at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse
It wasn't until after baby Rayna had been delivered that Reed realised the the extent of what had happened.
Crouse took full responsibility for Reed’s injuries, but did not admit it was negligent, a lawyer for the hospital said.
'I think unintended outcomes are unintended outcomes,' Brown testified.
'There are inherent risks of surgery in the operating room. What they may be are wide and varied.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2224135/Doctor-cleared-malpractice-pregnant-patient-catches-operating-table.html#ixzz2AYmTKTrV
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