• P P Crumière, R Albaladejo, G De Saint Maurice, F Trabold, U Mc Nelis, S Boileau, H Bouaziz, and les membres du bureau de l’institut lorrain d’anesthésie et de réanimation (ILAR).
• Service d'anesthésie-réanimation, l'hôpital Central, CHU de Nancy, 29, avenue du Maréchal-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny, 54035 Nancy cedex, France.
• Ann Fr Anesth Reanim. 2012 Oct 1;31(10):773-7.

ObjectiveTo assess knowledge amongst anaesthetists as regards to fire involving surgical patients in Lorraine.Study DesignA cross-sectional study was conducted using a postal questionnaire.MethodA 22-item postal questionnaire was therefore sent to all anaesthetists working in Lorraine between January and March, 2011.ResultsOne hundred and twenty-eight questionnaires were returned (response rate: 36%). Sixty-two percent of the respondents had never participated in fire safety training. Fifty percent could not recollect the location of the fire extinguisher in their surgical unit. Sixty-three percent ignored the existence of a memo written by the Afssaps summarizing how to use safely alcohol-based skin preparations in the presence of an electrosurgical unit. Sixty-five percent gave at least one incorrect response in grading the various modes of oxygen supply regarding the risk of fire. Only 48% were able to identify the surgeries which posed the greatest fire risk. In such cases, 40% of respondents were not aware that a FiO(2) should be maintained below 30%, 43% that the use of nitrous oxide was forbidden and 32% that it was necessary to respect a drying time after the application of an alcohol-based solution. Concerning the management of a fire, most of the answers were correct. Finally, 97% of the respondents wished to be better informed on this particular topic.ConclusionOur survey underlines a lack of knowledge amongst anaesthetists towards the risk of patient associated fire in theatre.Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier SAS.

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