Everything You Need To Know About Surgery Smoke And Proper Handling

Everyone knows that surgery can be a risky decision for patients. However, few people realize that surgery also carries inherent risks for the surgical staff as well. One thing most people have never heard about is surgery smoke. According to the US Department of Labor, approximately 500,000 people are exposed to surgery smoke annually. Following is a short explanation of what surgery smoke is, why it's harmful, and what hospitals are doing to reduce the risk to both their staff and their patients.

What Is Surgery Smoke

Surgery smoke, or surgical smoke plume is a fairly recent development. Surgery smoke is a byproduct of electrosurgery and electrocautery. Electrosurgery and electrocautery utilizes electric current to control bleeding, dry out tissue, or destroy and remove tissue. Surgeons use lasers, ultrasonic devices, smoke pencils, and other surgical devices that utilize electric current to cut, seal, and vaporize tissue. As these devices vaporize tissue, blood, and other fluids, a dangerous gas is released. This gaseous material is known as surgical smoke.

How Is Surgery Smoke Harmful

This gaseous byproduct is approximately 95% water and 5% other matter. It is this 5% that is harmful for surgical staff and patients to breathe in. This "smoke" can be broken down into 3 components: chemical, biological, and physical.

Chemical: The chemical component may contain up to 600 different toxic chemicals and compounds, some of which are known carcinogens. In addition, carbon monoxide is released by electrosurgical procedures that can result in headaches and nausea. Surgical smoke irritates the eyes and lungs in the same way that exposure to cigarette smoke is harmful, only on a much more concentrated scale.

Biological: The biological component contains the vaporized blood and tissues. It also contains the viruses and bacteria found in the blood and tissues, which can be potentially infectious. Viruses and bacteria are easily carried in the water component of the surgical smoke, and this makes them an airborne hazard to the surgical staff.

Physical: The physical component of surgical smoke is the ultrafine "dust" particles in the air that when breathed in can lead to both acute and chronic irritation in the respiratory tract, again similar to cigarette smoke. In addition, these particles in the air make it harder for the physician to see, slowing down surgical time and increasing the risk for surgical complications. These physical particles can also cause buildup on lens and other medical devices.

Ways to Eliminate Surgical Smoke

There are different methods the medical field uses to capture surgical smoke during surgical procedures before it enters the operating room atmosphere. One way is by using a suctioning device as close to the source of the smoke as possible. The suction device used for capturing liquids is not effective on surgical smoke. The problem is trying to suction the smoke while not interfering with the surgical procedure itself.

One breakthrough is a surgical smoke zip pen, which has proven to be effective in reducing the risks to both surgical staff and patients alike. This product allows the smoke to be absorbed by the same handheld device the surgeon uses for electrosurgery. This eliminates the need for an additional nozzle used to suction the smoke to get in the way, or cause the surgeon to pause for the smoke suction each time.

Approximately 95% of all surgeries utilize some type of electrosurgical device. In addition, electrosurgical advancements has enabled many procedures to be performed on an outpatient basis in clinics and doctor offices. This type of surgery has huge advantages, including reduced blood loss, fewer complications, minimal scarring, reduced cost, and more. However, along with these benefits comes the dangerous side effect of surgical smoke, putting both the patient and surgical staff at risk. With new technological advancements, the risk to both the surgical staff and patients can be minimized.