CE: Our Journey to Pass a Surgical Plume Evacuation Law

Surgical plume is produced when heat-generating instruments are used to cut, cauterize, or vaporize tissue during surgery. Surgical plume can rapidly diffuse, and without the use of plume evacuators to ensure it is captured, filtered, and removed, health care workers and patients are at risk for inhalation exposure to airborne contaminants, including smoke and biological hazards. The use of surgical plume evacuators in health care facilities is inconsistent across the United States. This article describes the experience of two nurses who led a grassroots coalition to pass a surgical plume evacuation law in Illinois. It also outlines strategies they used in the legislative process that nurses can apply to their own efforts to advocate for health policy change at the state level.