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The Case for Concurrent Cases - November 2018 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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ous carcinogens like formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and benzene — a full day of exposure to surgical smoke carries the same cancer risk as smoking up to 30 unfiltered cigarettes. According to a study in the Journal of Hospital Infection, surgical smoke can spread HIV, hepatitis, HPV and other infections. Moreover, an estimated 500,000 surgical workers are exposed to these deadly air- borne toxins on a daily basis. Most disturbing of all: There are no laws or mandates against the deadly plume in my home state of California. Standing up I first heard about the dangers of surgical plume through the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) as I was training in the OR. However, as a new graduate, I didn't have the con- fidence to stand up and question why we allowed it. But then I became pregnant and realized I was knowingly exposing my unborn child to toxins known to cause health risks. Many govern- ing bodies, such as the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), warn about the risks of smoking while pregnant, but surgical plume was being overlooked in my OR. Alarmed by the situation, I decided it was time to do something about it. Because I was working for Kaiser Permanente San Jose, an organi- zation that prides itself on preventative care and the health of its patients and staff, I felt confident we could implement change. Last September, while 5 months pregnant, I asked my manager if I could try to make our ORs smoke-free. He quickly obliged, sharing his own personal story about quitting cigarettes. I then sought out the help of the local representatives who supply our hospital's surgical smoke evacuation equipment. They helped re- educate our staff on surgical plume and shared the new technology available to us. N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 7

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