Operation Clean Air: Implementing a Surgical Smoke Evacuation Program

Surgical smoke is a hazardous byproduct of any surgery involving a laser or an electrosurgical unit. Although research and professional organizations identified surgical smoke as harmful many years ago, this byproduct continues to be a safety hazard in the OR. An interdisciplinary team at a large academic medical center sought to address the exposure of patients and perioperative team members to surgical smoke. The team used the nursing process to resolve the lack of smoke-evacuator equipment and surgical smoke staff member knowledge.
Source: AORN Journal - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Featured article Source Type: research