Airway Fire during Jet Ventilation for Laser Excision of Vocal Cord Papillomata

Supraglottic jet ventilation (SJV) is effective in providing both adequate oxygenation and ventilation for patients undergoing laser surgery.1 One purported major advantage of SJV, in addition to providing an unobstructed operative field, is the elimination of extraneous combustible material, specifically the endotracheal tube, from the airway. This is a report of an airway fire associated with SJV and a carbon dioxide laser. An errant laser strike ignited the surgeon's latex glove outside the oropharynx. The resultant burning vapors were entrained into the airway. The burning oxygen-enriched mixture was spread by exhalation around the laryngoscope and under the soaking wet “protective” draping, igniting the patient's mustache and causing facial burns.