Patient Dies After Throat Tube Set on Fire

June 15, 2001 7:24 am EST

ROME (Reuters) - An Italian man died after an operation in which surgeons accidentally set fire to a breathing tube in his throat with a laser they were using to remove a tumor, ANSA news agency reported Thursday.

It said the patient, 56-year-old Armando Borracino, died from internal burns Monday after a 12-day fight for his life in a hospital in the southern city of Salerno.

He underwent the operation on May 30.

"We are truly sorry for what has happened and we offer our condolences to the family of the unfortunate patient," Salerno regional health officer Teresa Armato said.

The head of the hospital resigned and three medics were suspended, ANSA said.

-- Anonymous, June 16, 2001