S
quinting through fog, smoke and debris during laparoscopy
is like driving in a snowstorm with sketchy windshield
wipers — visibility inside the abdominal cavity and on the
road reduced to blurs. That can make even the most techni-
cally savvy physician look like a first-year resident. Here
are 3 ways to eliminate common obstructions so your surgeons have the
views they need to optimize laparoscopic outcomes.
1. Make the surgical smoke disappear. Pumping in new
insufflation gas is the easiest way to rid the abdominal cavity of
smoke, says Dmitry Oleynikov, MD, FACS, a professor of surgery and
director of minimally invasive and robotic surgery at the Center for
Advanced Surgical Technology at the Nebraska Medical Center in
Omaha. But there are some issues associated with the practice. "If
you're not using a central CO
2
system, then pumping in new gas means
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O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | M A R C H 2 0 1 5
Clear Visibility Ahead
Do your laparoscopic surgeons have unobstructed views?
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
z CLOSE WATCH Surgeons need to see anatomical details to optimize their surgical performance.
