New tonight and 1st at 5 KGW has learned
a patient at OHSU was injured after a
fire started in hospital operating room.
Thank you for joining us. I'm Laurel
Porter. And I'm David mulco.
The fire sparked back in December,
though we're only learning about it now.
After KGW started asking questions tonight,
federal regulators have ordered the
hospital to take immediate action.
Investigative reporter Evan Watson
is in The Newsroom this evening.
Evan, what do we know about how
the fire started or how badly?
This person was injured.
David we don't know the extent
of that person's injuries.
The hospital official only said the
surgical patient suffered quote,
minor injuries, but couldn't say more,
citing patient privacy laws.
But we do know both the hospital and federal
investigators launched investigations
to find out exactly what went wrong.
KGW has learned a patient was injured
on the operating table at OHSU
after a fire started while surgeons
were using a cauterizing tool
around flammable high flow oxygen.
The hospital acknowledged the
dangerous situation this week.
After we started asking questions,
the fire happened in December.
The hospital immediately launched an
investigation into what happened,
and federal regulators later
conducted their own investigation.
The details we've learned from
that follow up offer some clues
about what went wrong that day.
The hospital was ordered to update.
Instructions on the use of high flow oxygen,
cattery equipment and an alcohol
based antiseptic.
When surgical fires happen,
it often involves a combination
of those three things,
oxygen,
a heat source and fuel to keep it going.
It's kind of a prime situation in
surgery because you're oftentimes
using supplemental oxygen when
the patients under anesthesia,
a lot of surgical instruments or
surgical approaches use cautery
or or you know create sparks.
Brett Morgan with the.
American Association of Nurse
Anesthesiology says the surgical
community takes this risk seriously,
and breakdowns in communication
are often to blame.
Barbara Milonga,
an investigator for the nonprofit ECRY,
the Emergency Care
Research Institute, agrees.
Let's face it, the the ignition
source is handled by the surgeon,
usually the oxidizer oxygen is
handled by the anesthesiologist,
and the nurse is the one
that's handling, you know,
the the drapes and the fuels and stuff.
So that team all has to work
together to prevent this. Yes.
However, both Morgan and milonga
say this doesn't happen often,
very uncommon. You know, a surgical fire
is a is a catastrophic but rare event.
It's very rare that we get a surgical fire
crawl that that has resulted in harm.
On Monday, the federal investigators
approved the hospital's plan for
quote long term sustained resolution
among 65 million surgeries performed
in the United States each year.
Ecri estimates there are about
90 to 100 surgical fires.
The procedures that are at highest risk
are those that involve the head, neck,
face and upper chest area because of the
close proximity of that oxygen source
on the face to the ignition source,
Morgan says. In most cases,
surgical fires are preventable.
This is an element of our training, it's
an element of our professional development.
In a statement to KGW,
OHSU said the safety of our
patients and Members is our top priority
and it is deeply concerning to all
involved anytime there is risk of harm.
Since the fire, hospital officials
said they have more clearly marked
when high flow oxygen is in use and
replace the type of cauterizing tool
they use around those oxygen devices.
We had many other questions about
the incident, but a hospital official
declined our interview request,
citing those patient privacy laws. David
pretty much the last place
anyone would expect to get.
Injured there, Evan,
appreciate your reporting tonight.
A person has died after they were
hit late Tuesday evening via
vehicle in Southeast Portland.
This was near the corner
of Powell and Foster.
Mike Benners across it for us tonight.
Mike. This latest death means at least
four people have now been killed
in crashes in just that part of the
city since the start of the New Year.
Yeah, that's right, David.
Safety advocates in East Portland
residents alike are concerned,
one of them telling me it feels as
if East Portland has been forgotten.
With the way traffic was moving in SE
Powell and Foster Wednesday morning,
you would have no idea this
was the scene of a deadly
crash just hours earlier.
This woman sure did not.
I didn't hear about this one.
But that's it's unfortunate.
I mean, people just get in a hurry,
perhaps, but perhaps not.
All authorities are saying
about what happened here is that
officers responded to reports
of a pedestrian struck by a car
around 10:15 Tuesday night.
That pedestrian died.
Despite life saving efforts by medics
and it's unfortunate when accidents
happen and it's unfortunate
when people lose their life. All
of that is true and sadly we're
becoming too accustomed to it.
Since the start of the year there have
been several deadly crashes in Portland.
There was one at SE 92nd and
Holgate early Monday morning and
another near Southeast Division
and 168th in early January.
Then there was one near SE 80th and
Powell at the beginning of last week.
Authorities say 44 year old
Tyler David seen here was.
Behind the wheel of his Ford Escort,
pulling out of a parking lot
when he was hit and killed.
Let's lower the speed limit.
That's gonna change, or no,
it's not gonna change anything.
As you can tell, she is beyond
frustrated by all of the death,
and she's troubled by the fact
it's happening in East Portland.
I think E county.
It's just they they kind of don't
care about E county a little bit.
In a way Portland doesn't.
As someone who drives bikes,
rides transit and walks as she was
on this day, this woman's pleading
with everyone to be more cautious.
But the alternative in her rise
is frightening. A lot of people
have just gotten more emboldened.
And it's just like, I'm gonna run light,
I'm gonna get, you know,
I'm gonna do whatever I want.
All right, we mentioned that crash
that killed Tyler David.
It just so happens that he'll be
remembered tonight at a celebration
of life at the escape Bar and Grill
in Northeast Portland that's slated
to start at 6:30. Back to you.
Thank you. Mike TriMet has
issued its second ever lifetime
ban to the man accused in an
assault at a Gresham Max station.
Police say on January 3rd,
Corin Kramer attacked an elderly
man and severely injured him.
This was in the early morning
hours when the Max wasn't running.
Kramer's currently being held without bail.
Trimet's first lifetime ban was
against a man who committed lewd acts
and sexually assaulted women multiple
times on public transportation.
To our homeless crisis tonight now,
where volunteers are beginning
to canvas the metro area to tally
how many people are living on the
streets or without a permanent home.
It is a yearly endeavor called
the point in time count.
Our Blair best joins us now.
And Blair, it sounds like the county
is changing things up to try to
get a more accurate number here
David. There are several
changes to the count this year,
1 being it's the first time it will
include Clackamas, Multnomah and
Washington counties all at once.
It's also the first time
volunteers in Multnomah County.
Are using an app to collect the data,
which they're hoping will
be more reliable now.
While there's always gaps in this data,
these changes are in an effort
to get a more accurate snapshot
of the homeless population.
This count is required by the federal
government and includes people in
transitional housing and shelters.
The Count started Wednesday
morning and ends January 31st,
with more than 200 volunteers
surveying people on the streets.
One of the main questions they'll
be asking is where they slept
on the night of January 24th.
This is not meant to be an intensive,
extensive research project.
It is meant to be a census, a snapshot,
and exactly what is happening in
communities in this period of time.
Didn't you get a different voices
about what's changing out here
and what needs to change out here?
Now, those behind the count are
projecting to see an increase in the
number of homeless people counted
because of the changes that they've made
to how they're collecting this data.
But those initial results
will be released this spring,
and a more detailed report will
come out later in the year.
David Laurel,
thank you, Blair. And tonight,
Portland's leaders are promising to
keep city services up and running if
more than 600 city workers walk off the
job next week over a contract dispute.
Now, these are union workers in
the parks and transportation
departments who help maintain.
City parks and work on sewers,
streets and sidewalks.
They've been negotiating a new
contract for the last 10 months,
but say they're now at an impasse
over cost of living raises.
The Union just notified the city
workers could strike as soon
as a week from tomorrow.
Catalytic converter thieves are causing
big issues at Portland Public Schools.
For months now, thieves have
been stealing them from buses.
Now PPS is hoping electric
fencing will put a stop to it.
Our Joe Raineri joins us
from Northeast Portland.
Joe and it's not just the school buses
thieves have been targeting, right?
Exactly right, Laurel.
It's not just these buses that are being
the target over the last several months,
but also the personal cars of
some of these bus drivers.
Now, the district tells me this is something
they've been dealing with for years,
but really have noticed said
uptick in the increase of thefts
within the last couple of years,
especially during the pandemic.
Now the district is hoping some
big changes will put a stop to it.
In a unanimous decision on Tuesday night, all
in favor, please indicate by
saying yes, yes, yes, all opposed.
Please indicate by saying no.
The Portland School
Board voted to install an
electric fence around their
bus yard in Northeast Portland.
For months, bus drivers have been
concerned about the thefts that
have been taking place in all
hours of the day.
Catalytic converter theft,
although better, is still occurring.
Fuel theft and fuel tank damage
is still occurring, as well as
fuel card theft from the buses.
The board heard testimony from
one of their. Drivers Bob Foster
bus drivers personal cars
are now being vandalized.
These incidents have
occurred in broad daylight.
Since the yards are wide open
from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM,
it's not a surprise to see
how easy it is to get in.
There might be barbed wire over the fence,
but the gates are open all day long.
Foster said that some bus drivers
have had their personal cars broken
into and some have started driving
around the yard on their own time.
Security is not in any PPS
Transportation employees job description.
And although all who performed this
duty is told not to engage anyone,
it still creates the possibility of
a dangerous confrontation. Brandon
Coonrod, who's the assistant director
of student transportation for the
district, says they've already
spent thousands on repairs this year.
This year alone,
just in repairs to the fences,
the catalytic converters and the gas tanks,
as well as fuel theft.
We're probably sitting just under
30,000 over the next couple of months.
Both of the districts bus yards will soon.
To better protection for the next
five years we'll pay about
205,000, which is considerably less
than we're spending in theft and
security right now against thieves
70,000 volts. It is non lethal,
but it is definitely a healthy shock.
Now, David and Laurel Brandon,
who you just heard from,
told me he's also looking at the possibility
of putting gates at two of their different
yards here in Northeast Portland.
He also told me this is a project that
could take anywhere from 2 to 2 1/2 months.
So that means potentially by
the later part of the spring,
there could be fencing around these
two bus yards in Northeast Portland,
in Northeast Portland tonight.
Joe Raineri, KGW news.
Thank you, Joe. And you.