6 2 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 2 0
A
wareness
continues
to develop
around the
negative
health effects of surgical
smoke, which contains
harmful chemicals, car-
cinogens, bacteria and
viruses. Spending a full
day working smoke-pro-
ducing cases is said to be
equivalent to inhaling
more than a full pack of
cigarettes. Still, many sur-
gical teams throughout
the country operate in
ORs without smoke evac-
uation.
Two simultaneous efforts are well underway to make smoke evacu-
ation mandatory in ORs across the country that collectively employ a
carrot-and-stick approach. Nurses and other clinicians at facilities and
health systems have launched grassroots efforts to evangelize, edu-
cate and win organizational support for smoke evacuation.
Meanwhile, in the interest of leveling the playing field, nurses and
other stakeholders are working to pass local laws and regulations that
Joe Paone | Senior Associate Editor
Stop Breathing in Surgical Smoke
Join national grassroots efforts to keep pushing for evacuation
in every OR.
TIME TO RECONSIDER Some surgeons who had negative experiences with
earlier versions of smoke evacuation pens might benefit from a fresh look at
new systems.
