American Society of Anesthesiologists Weighs in on Smoke Evacuation

This month, the ASA published an article in the Journal of Anesthesia, “Surgical smoke and the anesthesia provider.” The article’s conclusion suggests that anesthesia’s support for smoke evacuation is growing:

“Surgical smoke is a well-established occupational hazard for workers in the operating room. Although anesthesia providers have been strong advocates for perioperative smoking cessation, in general, they have not applied the same scrutiny to their daily working atmosphere. Specifically, there has been almost no effort from the global anesthesia community supporting educational endeavors related to surgical smoke, and no organized endeavors by anesthesia professional societies to support routine use of SEDs… While governmental bodies are beginning to introduce legislation mandating SED usage, predicated on the large collection of data documenting the adverse effects of surgical plume, anesthesia providers should consider greater support for effective removal of smoke from the operating room environment.”