Ms. Kording gathered facts and figures and put them in a PowerPoint
to share with her surgeons, who most likely were unaware of the col-
lateral damage they were causing.
"We didn't have to convince staff and leadership," says Ms. Kording.
"We had to convince our surgeons."
Not everyone was ready to give their full attention to the issue of
burning tissue. And that's not surprising. Although the dangers of surgi-
cal smoke have hovered like a black cloud over ORs everywhere for
more than 30 years, not much has been done about it. Smoke evacua-
tion equipment can cost quite a bit, and older models can be noisy and
bulky.
Instead of taking on the surgeons on her own, she decided to seek
out a physician champion she knew could hold sway with his col-
7 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8
Autoclavable
can be re-used for hundreds of procedures
improve sharps safety for pennies per
procedure*
can b
im
®
Neutral Zone Tray
Hands Free Technique made easy!
S e e i t i n a c t i o n : w w w. b i t . l y / s o ff z o n e
viscotcs@viscot.com • www.viscot.com • 800.221.0658
*based on 50+ uses
Enforces Hands Free Technique
recommendations from
AORN, OSHA, & ACS
