Bovid smoke and plume

Specialties Operating Room

Published

I just started in the OR, and am so excited! There is one problem, I didn't realize how bad the plume smoke would be. When I spent a day shadowing an OR nurse, there we're nothing but lap procedures, and there wasn't any. So I signedd on to the job, and have spent every day feeling like I will either vomit or pass out in a cold sweat. Does this get any better? I tried using some tea tree oil in my mask, and I guess it helped a little bit, but it was still there! Sometimes our tech will suction it up, but often times not. Help!

Specializes in Surgery.

Putting something on your mask to hide the smell does nothing. You are smelling toxic chemicals such as toluene, benzene, perchlorethylene and others, there are over 40 chemicals present in surgical plume. They are carcinogenic, mutagenic and neurotoxic. The symptom you are experiencing is from exposure to these chemicals. Please research surgical plume hazards online, feel free to contact me for more info.

You roast pigs on a smoker in your OR? *giggle* ;)

As for me...I love the smell of cauterized flesh in the morning....

No, but seriously, if the Bovie smoke is bad, I suction it away. I've had some doctors that don't like me poking my frasier in there, so in that case, I just...back away a little bit. That ****'s not good for you. I have never heard of a smoke evacuator.

I think bovine = cow. Pig is porcine, isn't it? LOL

Specializes in OR.

It's obvious what the answer to your problem is---- move to canada.

I have never read anything or seen studies where bovie smoke is carcinogenic. The smoke from a bovie is no different from the smoke of a burger cooking on the grill, same process. There are papers and studies showing that laser flume can be a health risk and certain precautions need to be taken, such as laser filter masks and plume/smoke evacuator use. As far as masking the smell all the suggestions already given are great ones. Have used many of them over the years. Your hospital should have laser masks which have a higher filtration than the everyday masks used, ask to have one on those cases where there are a lot of smoke.

Specializes in Operating room..
It's obvious what the answer to your problem is---- move to canada. I have never read anything or seen studies where bovie smoke is carcinogenic. The smoke from a bovie is no different from the smoke of a burger cooking on the grill same process. There are papers and studies showing that laser flume can be a health risk and certain precautions need to be taken, such as laser filter masks and plume/smoke evacuator use. As far as masking the smell all the suggestions already given are great ones. Have used many of them over the years. Your hospital should have laser masks which have a higher filtration than the everyday masks used, ask to have one on those cases where there are a lot of smoke.[/quote']

I don't agree with this. We were bovie-ing warts the other day from someone with HPV (no lasers) and I can guarantee you don't want to breath that stuff...NOT the same as breathing burger smoke!

Specializes in Surgery.

travelrn64 There are hundreds of articles regarding the hazards of surgical plume. True, all smoke is hazardous but in addition to the over 400 chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic and mutagenic, and particulates, many as small as0.03 microns, surgical plume contains biological components such as live HPV , HBV, and HIV in the smoke. It also contains intact strands of viral and bacterial DNA as well as intact strands of Human DNA. There are documented cases of transfer of HBV from surgical smoke inhalation to the airway of surgeons and surgical staff leading to laryngeal condylomatosis. The chemicals contained in surgical smoke include but are not limited to Acrylonitrile- carcinogenic, Toluene- carcinogenic, carbonmonoxide, benzene- carcinogenic. the list goes on and on. There is a study that released in 2012 that was done in the UK that showed a daily average of surgical smoke was equivalent to 27-30 cigarettes a day. As for masks, the most high filtration masks, N95 , filter to .1 microns, viruses and nanoparticles in plume are as small as 0.03 microns and pass through the mask, and due to the small size, lodge in the alveoli and cannot be expired. The cumulative effect is the same as the cumulative effect of cigarettes. one probable won't hurt you but over years of exposure, we are seeing a different story. Please do some research and protect yourself.

Specializes in Perioperative Nursing.

Excellent article. Thanks for posting.

I know it's a little long but it is a study about plume smoke

Smoke from tissue burning tools like lasers can be toxic to surgical team

By: The Canadian Press March 18, 2009

TORONTO—The surgeon touches an area of exposed flesh with a cauterizing tool for less than a minute, sending up a cloud of noxious smoke that quickly wafts across the room and catches at the eyes and throat.

It is only a demonstration—the flesh is actually raw turkey—but the result illustrates the hazard that doctors, nurses and even patients can be exposed to during operations that employ lasers and other tissue-burning tools.

Known as “plume,” the smoke is laden with all manner of potentially toxic substances and disease-causing microbes that can make their way past surgical masks and into the lungs.

“According to one study, exposure to (vapours from) one gram of laser-cut tissue is like smoking three unfiltered cigarettes,” said Suzanne Kiraly, president of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), which on Wednesday released new guidelines for capturing and disposing surgical plume.

http://www.thestar.com/Comment/article/604877

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