7 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9
There's a lot of
equipment involved
in electrosurgery
and surgical teams
often bundle the
equipment's cords
together to elimi-
nate a spaghetti of
tangled mess on the
sterile field.
Bundling, however,
increases the risk of
energy being transferred from the cord powering electrosurgery
instrument to adjacent cords. To avoid this issue, separate the
wires connecting electrosurgical instruments to the electrosurgi-
cal generator from the laparoscope's light source wire and cam-
era cords.
Managing the fiberoptic light source is an important aspect of
surgical fire prevention during laparoscopic procedures. If the
light source is turned on and the light cord touches the surgical
drapes, the drapes can ignite in seconds. The light source should
always be on standby mode and in the safety holster before the
case begins. When the light is turned on during surgery, the cir-
culating nurse should inform the surgeon, who verbalizes his
acknowledgement and indicates the cord is in a safe place.
Finally, at the end of the case, the light source should be turned
off and disconnected. — Leena Khaitan, MD, MPH, FACS
FIRE SAFETY
Be Careful With All Those Cords
• HOT TO THE TOUCH Flames can fly if the cord of an activated fiberoptic light
source is left lying on top of surgical drapes.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
