Health risks associated with exposure to surgical smoke for surgeons and operation room personnel

Abstract

Although surgical smoke contains potentially hazardous substances, such as cellular material, blood fragments, microorganisms, toxic gases and vapors, many operating rooms (ORs) do not provide protection from exposure to it. This article reviews the hazards of surgical smoke and the means of protecting OR personnel. Our objectives are to promote surgeons' acceptance to adopt measures to minimize the hazards. Depending on its components, surgical smoke can increase the risk of acute and chronic pulmonary conditions, cause acute headaches; irritation and soreness of the eyes, nose and throat; dermatitis and colic. Transmission of infectious disease may occur if bacterial or viral fragments present in the smoke are inhaled. The presence of carcinogens in surgical smoke and their mutagenic effects are also of concern. This review summarizes previously published reports and data regarding the toxic components of surgical smoke, the possible adverse effects on the health of operating room personnel and measures that can be used to minimize exposure to prevent respiratory problems. To reduce the hazards, surgical smoke should be removed by an evacuation system. Surgeons should assess the potential dangers of surgical smoke and encourage the use of evacuation devices to minimize potential health hazards to both themselves and other OR personnel.

The examination of problems experienced by nurses and doctors associated with exposure to surgical smoke and the necessary precautions

“…Cell components and chemicals that are smaller than 2 μm in size are relocated in the bronchioles and alveoli, which may be harmful to the respiratory system (Ulmer , Okoshi et al . ). It should be noted that different sizes of particles are produced by different surgical instruments.…”

Surgical Smoke: Putting the Pieces Together to Become Smoke‐Free

“… acute and chronic respiratory changes (eg, emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis), anemia, anxiety, carcinoma, cardiovascular dysfunction, colic, dermatitis, dizziness or lightheadedness, eye irritation, headache, hepatitis, HIV, hypoxia, lacrimation, leukemia, nasopharyngeal lesions, nausea or vomiting, sneezing, and weakness …”

“…A barrage of literature about the dangers of surgical smoke led to a discussion between the OR manager, the RN circulators, and the surgical technologists at our facility about the hazards of surgical smoke. This discussion created a desire to achieve smoke‐free ORs.…”

Electrosurgical Smoke: Ultrafine Particle Measurements and Work Environment Quality in Different Operating Theatres

“…The health and comfort impacts of surgical smoke are a relevant, and still growing, concern for perioperative team members and their workplace safety [1,10,11,13,28,40,41]. Surgeons usually experience a higher surgical smoke exposure level than other surgical team members who are exposed for even longer time periods in OT.…”