Bovie Smoke

[stevierae]

I just got the newest edition of Alexander's as part of a 125 hour CE course (to renew my CNOR.)

OK, so I was reading about laser plume . It says that exposure to laser plume during long cases equates to smoking either 2 or4 (can't remember which) unfiltered cigarettes.

Well,we usually use a smoke evac anyway.

But then it goes on to say that bovie smoke--during one long(didn't say how long,but in previous topics they equated "long" to "in excess of 2 hours--") IS EQUAL TO SMOKING 6 UNFILTERED CIGARETTES!!!

OK, I know that off and on over the years we kinda made half-a**ed attempts to suction bovie smoke, or assign the R1or R2 that role so he had something to do with his hands--

But I have NEVER worked anywhere where we hooked up a smoke evac, (except for laser--and that was usually because we were scared of aerolization during vaporization of condyloma) or had those special bovies with the suction tubing built in--

6 unfiltered cigarettes per case, huh? For me, over 25 plus years, that's--

HEY!!! So THAT's why I have had SOB lately!!--

And here I was just figuring I was out of shape and needed to start going to the gym more often--

Here's me in 5 years: old GOMER with COPD in VA hospital, trailing my O2 tank, wheezing--never smoked a cigarette in my life--

What do you guys think of this? I did not see what research study came up with these figures, (6 unfiltered cigarettes) but I will explore further---if this is accurate, I can't imagine why OR nurses across the US do not have emphysema in epidemic proportions---

[SFCardiacRN]

Bovie smoke makes me hungry...especially ortho cases.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Works as a suppressant for me.

[irynn]

hi,

can someone tell me how the smoke evacuator work and is there any web site with pic on it.

[grimmy, RN]

we use smoke evacs on all cases with a bovie. as one surgeon puts it: "i don't smoke. cigarettes or burning tissue."

i'm with you on that one. i have complained, it seems, without being heard, that most of my patients smoke, so i don't want to smoke the patient! why inhale that crap? i guess i need to press harder on this issue at work. i mean, for cripes sake, we diagnose and remove lung tumors every single day from inhalation factors...i don't want to be one of them!

[keddings]

Hello All,

Interesting conversation that I wanted to comment on. I do not work in an OR however I do work for a company that manufactures smoke evauators. Due to the TOS I will not mention the company however, I was compelled to bump this thread.

All of you are right on point with the hazard of "Bovie" smoke. I talk to charge nurses, circulators, OR directors and managers everyday. I am still shocked at the lack of education that has been provided to health care workers with regard to surgical smoke. It is a hazard and should be effectively removed from the OR for ALL cases where smoek is generated, even LAP cases. I encourage all of you to do a little research and do what you can you get the smoke out of your OR and your lungs. There are countless articles that have been published by doctors on what is in the smoke and what should be done to protect health care workers from it, read as much as you can on this.

I would be happy to share what I can with any of you within the TOS of this site.