Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fire ignited during laser surgery on pet rodents
By Collarile, Tommaso et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2012·Clinica per Animali Esotici, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Fire ignition during laser surgery in pet rodents.
- Species:
- rodent
Plain-English summary
This report discusses a serious issue that can happen during laser surgery on small pets like mice and hamsters. In this case, a 13-month-old male mouse and a 1-year-old female Russian hamster both had surgery to remove growths using a laser. Unfortunately, fires broke out from their face masks during the procedures. The mouse suffered severe burns but eventually healed after about two months in the hospital. Sadly, the hamster had severe burns as well and had to be put to sleep just three days after the incident. This highlights that laser surgery can pose a risk of fire in small animals, especially when they are not fully intubated and are under certain types of anesthesia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Laser surgery is an attractive alternative to other means of section device in terms of tissue inflammation and interaction, which has been extensively used in human and veterinary medicine. Although accidental ignition during laser surgeries is sporadically reported in human medical literature, to the authors' knowledge this is the first report regarding laser-dependent fire ignition during surgery in veterinary medicine. CASE PRESENTATION: Two rodents, a 13-month old, 27-gram, male pet mouse (Mus musculus) and a 1-year old, female Russian hamster (Phodopus sungorus), underwent surgical removal of masses with diode laser. During the surgical procedures fires ignited from the face masks. The mouse presented severe burns on the head and both forelimbs, it was hospitalized and approximately 2 months after surgery burns were resolved. The hamster presented severe burns on the face and the proximal regions of the body. At 72 hours from the accident the hamster was euthanized. CONCLUSION: The present report suggests that fire ignition is a potential life-threatening complication of laser surgery in non-intubated rodents maintained under volatile anesthesia. High oxygen concentrations, the presence of combustible, and the narrowness of the surgical field with the face mask during laser surgery on rodents are risk factors for fire ignition.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23009047/