Skip to comments.
Flatulence ignites operating theatre fire
New Zealand Herald ^
| 13 May 2006
| Staff
Posted on 05/13/2006 8:48:14 AM PDT by fanfan
A patient's "gas leak" is being blamed for bringing a hospital operation to a fiery end.
The man suffered minor burns in a brief but "dramatic" operating theatre fire which is believed to have been caused by flatulence, The New Zealand Herald reported today.
The man was at the Southern Cross Hospital in Invercargill to have haemorrhoids removed and was singed in the "exceedingly rare" incident involving his own gas.
"This was thought to be flatus containing methane igniting," a health source told the newspaper.
"There was a sort of flashfire and that was it, but it was fairly alarming at the time."
Haemorrhoids are swollen veins in the lining of the anus. If they protrude outside the body and become troublesome, they can be removed by surgery, which in the Invercargill case employed an electrical "diathermy" machine. A hand-held tool for cutting tissue and cauterising to stop bleeding, it produces heat and can spark.
Southern Cross is releasing little detail other than confirming an "electrical fire" occurred on March 22 and that it commissioned an independent forensic scientist to investigate.
TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Humor; Science; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: fart; fireinthehole; flatulence; flatulencecankill; hatewhenthathappens; ouch; yikes
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-35 last
To: fanfan
So it was caused by Fecal Air by Rectal Transport (FART)...
21
posted on
05/13/2006 10:14:01 AM PDT
by
xjcsa
(Fight global climate stagnation!)
To: fanfan
22
posted on
05/13/2006 12:49:14 PM PDT
by
stephenjohnbanker
(Immigration: Acting like dupes does not earn us their respect, but their CONTEMPT.))
To: stephenjohnbanker
Just Dam?
;-)
23
posted on
05/13/2006 2:29:23 PM PDT
by
fanfan
(FR is the best/biggest news gathering entity in the whole known history of the world. Thanks Jim.)
To: fanfan
24
posted on
05/13/2006 4:19:13 PM PDT
by
stephenjohnbanker
(Immigration: Acting like dupes does not earn us their respect, but their CONTEMPT.))
To: fanfan
Just goes to show the Kiwis are full of hot air!
25
posted on
05/13/2006 4:29:13 PM PDT
by
Fair Go
To: Irish_Thatcherite; cardinal4
Baked beans.
Baked beans, cabbage, a hard boiled egg and about six PBRs.
There have been cases of people, usually overweight, dying as a result of breathing their own methane while sleeping. More often than not they went on a high fiber diet just weeks prior. What a way to go.
26
posted on
05/13/2006 6:09:00 PM PDT
by
Das Outsider
(Only fascists and Stalinists tear down crosses. Thank you, Mayor Sanders! Keep up the fight!)
To: fanfan
Talk about your hot seat.
L
27
posted on
05/13/2006 6:13:09 PM PDT
by
Lurker
(50% of the country is not fit to run a convenience store.)
To: shaggy eel; Allegra; wazoo1031; Dog Gone; Maximus of Texas; Lurkin Lurch
Ultra-exclusive Pffft Ping List ping...
28
posted on
05/13/2006 6:32:29 PM PDT
by
ErnBatavia
(Meep Meep)
To: Lady Jag
mostly with men who tend to self-induce.
Be aware that said "self inducing" is part of Manhood...
29
posted on
05/13/2006 6:33:45 PM PDT
by
ErnBatavia
(Meep Meep)
To: ErnBatavia
Be aware that said "self inducing" is part of Manhood... An esteemed and charming one, indeed. Plus, you like to get pictures!
30
posted on
05/13/2006 7:07:56 PM PDT
by
Lady Jag
(Learning to shrug is the beginning of wisdom)
To: fanfan; pissant; rzeznikj at stout; martin_fierro; Lady Jag; Irish_Thatcherite; Maximus of Texas; ..
I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN. T'AIN'T PRETTY.
31
posted on
05/14/2006 7:31:30 PM PDT
by
sully777
(wWBBD: What would Brian Boitano do?)
To: sully777
32
posted on
05/14/2006 7:36:43 PM PDT
by
rzeznikj at stout
(ASCII and ye shall receive... (Computers 3:14))
To: ErnBatavia
,,, if this were to happen again, it would happen in Invercargill.
To: Roccus
Damn, I remember that cartoon, too.
34
posted on
05/17/2006 2:46:23 AM PDT
by
Ronin
(Ut iusta esse, lex noblis severus necesse est.)
To: fanfan
Okay, folks. Let's keep this thread civil.
That means, no flames.
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-35 last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson