which are lightweight, ergonomic and quieter than previous genera-
tions.
4. Don't forget the filters
We understood that surgical plumes could be hazardous, but we typi-
cally used suction devices to clear the smoke from the surgical field.
What we didn't understand was that suctioning wasn't actually elimi-
nating the hazard, because we weren't filtering the smoke.
We learned that to protect staff, surgical smoke needs to be pulled
through a HEPA filter, or else the toxins remain present. Make sure
every member of the surgical team understands that smoke has to be
drawn through the HEPA filter for the smoke evacuation system to
work.
O C T O 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 5
To your OR staff
Do No
Harm
The OR should be a place of healing.
But in the presence of surgical smoke,
it can be a harmful environment to the
staff who breathe the equivalent of
27 to 30 cigarettes a day
1
.
Discover the impact of surgical smoke at EndSurgicalSmoke.org
1
Hill, D.S. et. Al., Surgical Smoke – A health hazard in the operating theatre. A study to quantify exposure and a survey of smoke extractor
systems in UK plastic surgery units. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery 2012. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2012.02.012
