Oxygen Deflagration at Graz Hospital: 73-Year-Old Injured by Self-ignited Cigarette

The patient, who according to the clinic was being treated on the internal medicine ward, suffered injuries in the deflagration. According to the current state of information, no other persons were harmed. "Zum Glück waren keine anderen Patientinnen und Patienten betroffen," the hospital added.

Criticism from the clinic leadership

The clinic leadership expressed sharp criticism of the patient's behavior and referred to the applicable safety rules. "Ich habe kein Verständnis dafür, dass hier Patienten und Mitarbeiter gefährdet werden. In sämtlichen Patientenzimmern gilt, wie auch in den anderen Räumlichkeiten des Krankenhauses, ein strenges Rauchverbot," the statement said.

The deputy medical director of the hospital, Christian Walch, also emphasized the scale of the incident. "Es bestand nicht nur eine erhebliche Gefahr für die Patientin selbst, sondern auch für andere Patientinnen und Patienten sowie für das Krankenhauspersonal," Walch said. The medical oxygen can cause what would normally be a small ignition source to rapidly develop into a dangerous deflagration.

Comparable incidents in Austria

The incident in Graz is part of a series of similar cases in Austrian hospitals. In May 2023, three people died at the Mödling Clinic because smoking had occurred there during oxygen therapy. In February 2025, a patient at the Floridsdorf Clinic also lit a cigarette during oxygen treatment and triggered a fire.

The authorities and the Hospital of the Barmherzige Brüder have so far provided no further details on the exact injuries sustained by the 73-year-old woman or on her current state of health. Investigations into the precise sequence of the deflagration are ongoing.

Why oxygen is so dangerous

From the perspective of safety experts, oxygen in medical use is particularly combustion-promoting: Even a spark or a smoldering cigarette can trigger a sudden deflagration in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere – with a significantly higher risk than in normal room air.

The hospital announced that it would review its internal safety briefings and controls. At the same time, the clinic issued an appeal to patients and their relatives to adhere to the existing smoking bans in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.