2 8 S U P P L E M E N T T O 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 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7
W
hen we decided to do away
with surgical smoke, our staff
education efforts included graphic presentations about
the harmful toxins in surgical smoke. We were told that
in some cases facilities had seen the health of their
employees improve almost immediately after they made smoke evacuation
mandatory.
I thought that last part was probably an exaggeration.
But some time later, after we'd managed to go smoke-free for about a month
and a half, one of our nurses approached me. She swore that her respiratory
Let's Ban Surgical Smoke
It's time to protect all surgical professionals
from the harmful effects of toxic plumes.
Jeff Belcher, BSN, RN, CSSM | Las Vegas, Nev.
NO SMOKING Surgeons can be a tough
sell, but they're more likely to support
smoke-free initiatives if they understand
the stakes.
Todd
Wilkinson,
RN
