SURGICAL SPECIALITY
Occupational Hazards of Surgical Smoke in the Operating Room (OR) Surgeons and medical personnel face growing health risks in the operating room (OR) from prolonged exposure to surgical smoke which can cause acute and chronic health effects. To address this, for the first time in Asia, a consensus statement based on the expert opinions of 10 leading surgeons from Singapore, Hong Kong, and India; and one leading surgeon from the United States, was developed. The purpose of this consensus statement is to discuss the key issues regarding surgical smoke and share recommendations based on the current scientific evidence. Anil Heroor, Director, Surgical Oncology at the Advanced Onco Surgery Unit, Fortis Hospitals
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A SI A N H O S P I T A L & H EA LT HCA R E M A N AGE M E N T
1. What are the potential risks of surgical smoke exposure?
Energy devices used during surgeries, regardless of open or laparoscopic procedures, can generate surgical smoke. The presence of over 80 potentially hazardous chemicals, blood and tissue particles, bacteria, and virus particles, as well as carcinogenic compounds that can be found in surgical plume has made this a growing concern.
IS S UE - 58, 2022
A recent study which investigates the results of exposure to surgical smoke revealed that OR personnel experienced headaches, dizziness, watery eyes, coughs, and several other complications. During the expert panel discussion, there was also a consensus that the compounds found in surgical smoke are above recommended levels of acute exposure limits that have been set by national health organisations.
