smoke. At the time, awareness of the issue was rather low; AORN
found a surprising number of its members had never been educated
on the topic. As AORN built that awareness among surgical teams, its
efforts also moved into statehouses. The organization has coordinated
with and energized its state chapters to advance smoke evacuation
legislation in specific U.S. states.
The progress of bills and regulations that require use of surgical
smoke evacuation systems has been slowed by the COVID-19 pan-
demic, which has disrupted the activities of state legislatures nation-
wide. Still, as the middle of 2020 approaches, significant inroads have
been made in a number of states.
If you're considering the legislative route, reach out to AORN to find
out how to get involved most effectively, says Jennifer Pennock, sen-
ior manager of government affairs at AORN. "We have a lot of
resources available and some steps people can take to lay the ground-
work," she says.
AORN might have already done some heavy lifting in your state
and might already have people working on the ground with whom
J U N E 2 0 2 0 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 6 5
Staff and Patients Need Protection Now More than Ever
Introducing the VISIMAX™
Laparoscopic Smoke Clearance
System
Use your hospital's central vacuum
system to remove surgical contaminants
and smoke completely out of the
operating space.
www.boehringerlabs.com • 484-255-8822
