Smokeout: OR nurses fight to remove hazard
Smokeout: OR nurses fight to remove hazard
AORN calls for smoke evacuation
OR nurses want to clear the air in the operating room. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) in Denver issued a position statement in April urging hospitals and other health care providers to reduce exposure to surgical smoke and bio-aerosols released in laser and electrosurgical procedures.1
About 39 noxious chemicals as well as infectious particles and viable tumor cells have been identified in smoke plumes. Exposure leads to eye and respiratory irritation, headaches, and an increased risk of asthma among OR nurses, according to health hazard evaluations conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Researchers have determined the potential for viral or bacterial transmission from viable particles.2
Yet an online survey of 623 AORN members by Duke University researchers indicated that local exhaust ventilation is not routinely used in electrocautery or electrosurgery procedures. The regular use of local exhaust ventilation ranged from 8% to 59%, the study found.3
"On the front door of the hospital, it says 'This is a smoke-free facility.' We need that same sign on the door of the OR," says Kay Ball, RN, MSA, CNOR, FAAN, an educator and consultant who is a past president of AORN and a longtime advocate for addressing surgical smoke. Ball is conducting research on surgical smoke evacuation for a doctoral dissertation and chairs the AORN Surgical Smoke Task Force.
The AORN position statement is just the first step toward building awareness of the hazards of surgical smoke. The OR nurses plan to create a "toolkit" that will help them educate their colleagues about surgical smoke. It will include a Powerpoint presentation with a test that can be used by OR staff to obtain continuing education credits as well as sample policies, posters, a bibliography and other information.
Too often, nurses and other OR employees suffer from headaches or respiratory problems after a shift in the OR but don't connect the symptoms with the continual exposure to surgical smoke, says Mary Ogg, RN, MSN, CNOR, perioperative nursing specialist with AORN's Center for Nursing Practice. "This will be a way to get [the message] out to all the members of the perioperative team," she says.
How bad is surgical smoke? NIOSH investigators visited operating rooms in three hospitals in 2000 and 2001 to measure its impact. They detected formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and toluene, though not above recommended or permissible exposure limits. Yet even at low levels, compounds in the surgical smoke could cause irritation of the eyes and mucous membranes, especially among sensitive individuals, the investigators concluded.
References
1. Association of periOperative Registered Nurses. Statement on surgical smoke and bio-aerosols. Available at www.aorn.org/PracticeResources/AORNPositionStatements/SurgicalSmokeAndBioAerosols/. Accessed on April 21, 2008.
2. Ulmer BC. The hazards of surgical smoke. AORN J 2008; 87:721-734.
3. Edwards BE and Reiman RE. Results of a survey on current surgical smoke control practices. AORN J 2008; 87:739-749.
OR nurses want to clear the air in the operating room. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) in Denver issued a position statement in April urging hospitals and other health care providers to reduce exposure to surgical smoke and bio-aerosols released in laser and electrosurgical procedures.Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.