Halloween may be over, but that doesn’t mean that the real-life horrors (that kind that could happen to you) have to stop. Today’s reminder that danger lurks around every corner? A medical procedure in Tokyo that went very, very wrong when a patient farted. (Can you imagine both the embarrassment and the pain?)
According to Gizmodo, the incident happened in April but was only confirmed recently, when a hospital report recounted the terrifying moment a patient undergoing a cervical surgery via laser accidentally let loose some gas and ignited everything, burning much of her body.
From the report, via The Straits Times:
“When the patient’s intestinal gas leaked into the space of the operation (room), it ignited with the irradiation of the laser, and the burning spread, eventually reaching the surgical drape and causing the fire.”
Uh, okay. That sounds both terrifying and also probably yet another reason not to break the “don’t eat anything before surgery” rule (aside from that whole thing about aspirating your breakfast). And considering that the report also claims that all the machinery in the hospital was working correctly, it’s probably also another reason to re-examine how we use lasers as well as how we need to drape people so this never, ever, ever happens again. Like never ever.
But, you know, just something to think about!
