T H E N U M B E R O F
H E A L T H C A R E
P R O V I D E R S I N T H E
U . S . P O T E N T I A L LY
E X P O S E D T O W A G
2
WHO IS AT RISK
ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
SURGEONS
DENTISTS
PACU NURSES
NURSE MGRS
NURSING AIDES
HYGIENISTS
SUPPORT STAFF
TECHNICIANS
HOW EXPOSURE HAPPENS IN THE PACU
3
PACU nurses work directly within their patients' breathing zones.
40
Patients continue to exhale
WAG up to
40 minutes
after leaving the operating room.
Waste Anesthetic Gas (WAG) is the small amount of
anesthetic gases that leak into the surrounding room
during medical procedures. In the PACU, WAG may be
exhaled by patients recovering from anesthesia. This
gas is not typically harmful to the patient, but the health
effects could be cumulative for nurses working in the
patient's breathing zone.
1, 2
250,000
M O R E T H A N
Tele!ex, ClearAir and ISO-Gard are trademarks or registered trademarks of Tele!ex
Incorporated or its af"liates.© 2014 Tele!ex Incorporated. All rights reserved. MC-000321
REFERENCES:
1. Occupational Safety & Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. (Revised 18 May 2000). Anesthetic Gases: Guidelines for Workplace Exposures.
Retrieved from: http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/anestheticgases/.
2. OSHA. Waste Anesthetic Gases. May 2008. Available at: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/wasteanestheticgases/index.html.
3. McGlothlin JD, Moenning JE, Cole, SS. Evaluation and Control of Waste Anesthetic Gases in the Postanesthesia Care Unit. Journal of PeriAnesthesia NursingVolume 29, Issue 4, Pages 298-312, August 2014.
This study was funded in part by a grant from Tele!ex
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SOURCE CONTROLLED SCAVENGING
An effective
method for
decreasing PACU
clinician
exposure to WAG
is the use of a
source control
scavenging
system, such as
the ISO-Gard
®
Mask with
ClearAir
™
Technology from
Tele#ex
3
