Toxic smoke protection for patients, staff urged

Toxic plumes in surgical smoke are a hazard to patients, surgeons, and nurses

Surgeons, patients and nurses breathing in poisons and viral particles in surgical smoke will have to wait for any new minimum protections in New Zealand, according to an article on the Stuff website.

WorkSafe NZ has no specific guidance relating to toxic electrosurgical smoke plumes.

Surgeon Dr Bruce Hodgson urged all hospitals to adopt a more effective surgical smoke evacuation technology.

Staff at Dunedin's Mercy Hospital and the Nurses Organisation (NZNO) last weekend called for a national debate on the issue, which had flown under the radar for years, the article said.

Read the article.

June 15, 2016

Topic Area: Safety

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