Current attitudes and practices towards diathermy smoke.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Safety
• Occupational Health
• Environmental Health in Healthcare

Background:

• Surgical smoke generated by electrosurgical units (ESUs) presents documented health hazards.
• ESUs are standard in surgical practice, necessitating an understanding of associated risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the awareness and opinions of surgical staff regarding electrosurgical unit smoke hazards.
• To evaluate current practices and perceived adequacy of precautions against surgical smoke in the Wessex Region.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted using Ovid Medline.
• A questionnaire survey was distributed to 169 general surgical consultants, specialist registrars, and senior theatre nurses across 14 hospitals.
• The survey explored current practices, perceived risks, and the use of protective measures against surgical smoke.

Main Results:

• Only 3 out of 98 surveyed surgeons utilized dedicated smoke extraction equipment.
• A significant majority (72%) of respondents perceived current precautions against surgical smoke as inadequate.
• Respondents expressed uncertainty regarding the specific hazards associated with surgical smoke.

Conclusions:

• The adoption of surgical smoke extraction equipment is notably low among surveyed professionals.
• Increased awareness of surgical smoke hazards and available extraction technologies could improve equipment utilization.
• There is a clear need to enhance safety protocols and staff education concerning electrosurgical smoke management.