Surgical smoke exposure in any procedural setting presents numerous hazards. While these hazards have become widely recognized and accepted, the evidence-based practices to protect from these hazards are not as common. Nurses and other perioperative professionals play a critical role in creating smoke-free healthcare environments for every smoke-generating procedure by advocating within and beyond their healthcare setting. This learning activity presenting the hazards, safety practices, and advocacy strategies that can help any perioperative professional succeed in preventing surgical smoke hazards from contaminating the air in their procedural setting.
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the risks associated with airborne and droplet contamination related to surgical smoke, aerosol-generating procedures, and medical devices that may introduce contaminants into the air in healthcare facilities
Describe best practices for implementing smoke evacuation in the operating room according to specialty
Explain how to overcome barriers to smoke evacuation implementation
