In a horrific and shocking story from The Oregonian, the family of an Oregon man is seeking $900,000 in damages from a hospital after his face caught on fire mid-surgery while he was allegedly awake.
The details of this unimaginable ordeal are laid out in a malpractice lawsuit filed by John Michael Murdoch’s widow against Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), as originally reported by The Oregonian. The lawsuit claims that Murdoch, who was undergoing surgery in 2022 for squamous cell carcinoma on his tongue, suffered severe burns when medical staff failed to ensure that alcohol applied to sterilize his skin had dried properly. As a result, his face ignited during the procedure.
According to the lawsuit, Murdoch was undergoing a tracheostomy — a procedure to insert a breathing tube into his throat. To prepare for the operation, his face was swabbed with isopropyl alcohol, which did not fully dry. A spark from a surgical tool then set his face ablaze, fueled by both the alcohol and oxygen in the operating room. Shockingly, the lawsuit states that Murdoch was "awake and conscious" when the fire erupted, enduring an unspeakable level of trauma.
The lawsuit also alleges that the surgical tool involved had a history of sparking, compounding the already nightmarish series of events.
Murdoch survived for six months after the surgery, during which time he endured disfiguring scars, unrelenting swelling, and wounds that would not heal, according to his attorney, Ron Cheng. Tragically, he passed away in June 2023 at the age of 52. Cheng emphasized the catastrophic nature of the event, calling it a “never event” — something that should absolutely never occur in medical care.
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“This never should have happened,” Cheng told The Oregonian. Despite his inability to speak clearly after the surgery, Murdoch was reportedly able to convey to his wife the immense suffering he endured due to the burns.
The lawsuit names OHSU, Dr. Adam Howard (a physician whose medical license lapsed in January 2024), and 10 unnamed surgical staff as defendants. A spokesperson for OHSU declined to comment, citing patient privacy laws, while Dr. Howard was also unavailable for comment for the same reasons.
The terrifying reality of surgical fires was highlighted by the American College of Surgeons, which notes that operating rooms create "perfect conditions for fire" due to the presence of ignition sources, oxygen, and flammable materials. Alarmingly, about 70% of surgical fires in the U.S. involve electrosurgical devices, and alcohol-based skin preparations are frequently cited as fuel sources when not allowed to fully evaporate.
Between January 2018 and March 2023, 85 incidents of surgical fires or burns were reported to the Joint Commission, an independent hospital accreditation body. Experts stress that healthcare organizations must adopt stricter protocols, such as ensuring alcohol-based antiseptics fully dry, managing oxygen levels, and training staff to prevent and respond to such incidents.
This tragic case stands as a grim reminder of the dangers that can arise in medical settings and underscores the devastating consequences of preventable errors.
