Minimizing operating room personnel exposure to surgical smoke with an easy and costless method

Diathermies are commonly used in surgery for precise dissection, hemostasis and tissue mobilization, being sometimes preferable over scalpels because of their abilityin reducing operating time, blood loss, and increasing visibility. Because their utilization is always associated with the production of a variable amount of surgical smoke, plastic surgeons and operating room personnel are routinely exposed to it during eighter aesthetic and reconstructive procedures. It is reported that the smoke produced by these devices contains particulate matter, the smallest particles of which can be absorbed into the bloodstream if inhaled and potentially cause adverse consequences to the respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems. Studies have shown that 1 g of tissue may produce smoke plumes equivalent to six unfiltered cigarettes and that the average amount of surgical smoke produced daily may have the mutagenic equivalent of about 27 to 30 cigarettes