Although laser plume and surgical smoke are widely acknowledged to pose a health risk to healthcare workers and patients, the debate continues on the need for smoke evacuation systems and the establishment of appropriate smoke evacuation practices. For those who are still questioning the need for a smoke evacuator or those who are searching for information on exactly what is surgical smoke and its potential hazards, Surgimedics has compiled the relevant studies below.

Surgimedics is committed to providing education about the hazards of surgical smoke and laser plume. It is hoped that these studies and guidelines will create a greater awareness of the potential health threat associated with surgical smoke and provide the impetus for healthcare workers to develop a plan of action for appropriate smoke evacuation of hazardous surgical smoke.

Recommended Guidelines

Under recommended guidelines, you will find guidelines and statements addressing the hazards of surgical smoke plume and proper smoke evacuation by numerous agencies or professional organizations such as the Occupations Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS), Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to name a few.

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Research Articles

The research articles category provides information by numerous authors on the content of surgical smoke and laser plume, the health risks associated with exposure to laser and surgical smoke, the appropriate methods of smoke evacuation and recommendations for smoke evacuation guidelines.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Locate answers to frequently asked questions on surgical smoke plume, smoke evacuation guidelines, and the use of a surgical smoke evacuator. It is intended as an easy way to become familiar with the definitions and issues relevant to the generation, hazards and evacuation of surgical smoke.

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