Chemical production in electrocautery smoke by a novel predictive model

The hazards of electrocautery smoke have been known for decades. However, few clinical studies have been conducted to analyze the responsible variables of the smoke production. This study collected clinical smoke samples and systematically analyzed all possible factors.

Thirty diathermy smoke samples were collected during mastectomy and abdominal cavity operations. Samples were analyzed using a gas chromatographer with a flame ionization detector. Data were applied to construct prediction models for chemical production from electrosurgeries to identify all possible factors that impact chemical production during electrosurgery.

Toluene was detected in 27 smoke samples (90%) with concentrations of 0.003-0.463 mg/m(3) and production of 176.0-2,780.0 ng. Ethyl benzene and styrene were identified in very few cases. General linear regression analysis demonstrates that surgery type, patient age, electrocautery duration and imparted coagulation energy explained 67.63% of the variation in toluene production.

Surgery type and patient age are known prior to surgery. In terms of risk precaution, the operating team should pay close attention to exposure when certain positive factors of increasing the chemical production are known in advance.