Operating room sound level hazards for patients and physicians

Area of Science:

• Operating room acoustics
• Occupational health in surgery
• Audiology

Background:

• Surgical instruments and equipment generate significant noise during procedures.
• Both patients and surgical teams face cumulative noise exposure, with potential for hearing damage.
• Existing occupational safety standards (OSHA, NIOSH) offer inconsistent guidance on surgical noise hazards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify sound levels produced by surgical instruments.
• To assess patient and surgeon noise exposure during operations.
• To evaluate compliance with occupational hearing safety standards.

Main Methods:

• Sound level measurements using a Bruel and Kjaer sound meter.
• Spectral recordings of 20 major surgical instruments across 5 specialties.
• Measurements taken at patient and surgeon ear levels (32 Hz to 20 kHz).

Main Results:

• Instrument noise levels reached up to 131 dB, exceeding safe limits within average procedure times.
• Significant differences observed in patient versus operator noise exposure, with unilateral dominance.
• OSHA and NIOSH standards yielded contradictory assessments for individual instruments and procedures.
• Intermittent background noise and individual predisposing factors also contributed to risk.

Conclusions:

• Surgical instrument noise frequently surpasses recommended hearing safety levels.
• Specialties like Otolaryngology, Orthopedics, and Neurosurgery utilize instruments with regularly exceeding limits.
• General operating room noise exacerbates overall exposure; innovative solutions are needed.