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S M O K E
E V A C U A T I O N
in-line filter on laparoscopic procedures or whether it was extracting
laser plume from the external surgical site.
We presented our findings to our medical advisory board: This is the
latest research on the hazards of smoke; this is the newest technology;
this is why we like it; this is what it would cost per patient, and what it
would contribute to patient and staff safety, including surgeons. The
board agreed it was a necessity.
When we brought in the technology, we discovered that, as with
anything new, it requires some adjustment to use. The suction was
loud — all evacuation systems create some additional noise — and
has a different feel in surgeons' hands. Now, instead of a skinny cord
on the pencil, there's a suction tube that's a bit larger than the old
cord. Surgeons have to get comfortable with the bulkier feel.
Every so often, because of these inconveniences, a physician is
reluctant to use the evacuation technology. Staff might then turn
down the volume on the device or decrease the suction level so it's
less noisy. Through education, staff makes it transparent that it's
important to always capture the particulate from any source, whether
electrosurgical, laser, drill, external or internal. OSM
Ms. Bozeman (lobozema@sentara.com) is clinical director at Virginia
Beach Ambulatory Surgery Center in Virginia Beach, Va.
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