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S M O K E
E V A C U A T I O N
Making the case
Any new technology will come up against resistance unless you can
show data to prove it's necessary. All staff needed persuading, but our
RNs led the initiative. It can take 20 minutes for OR ventilation to
return a room to baseline levels, and we RNs are the ones who set up
the ORs.
In addition to the literature, AORN materials are a major source of
information (access AORN's "Management of Surgical Smoke Tool
Kit" here: tinyurl.com/amtyg4d). Through research we learned about the
hazards of surgical smoke, whether it's visible or invisible, odoriferous
or odorless. Understanding particle size is essential, because each
technology produces different-size particles, ranging from 0.1 to 5.0
micrometers. Particles that are 5.0 micrometers or larger are deposit-
