Smoke from laser surgery: is there a health hazard?
The composition of plume produced during carbon dioxide laser endoscopic treatment for endometriosis was examined to determine whether it represented a hazard to the surgical staff. A total of 32 plume samples were collected from 17 women undergoing laser laparoscopic treatment for endometriosis and/or adhesions. The smoke was found to consist of particles having a median aerodynamic diameter of 0.31 micron with a range of 0.10-0.80 micron. The size range has two consequences: 1) using a human red blood cell as a model for all cells, it can be stated with greater than 99.9999% certainty that no cell-size particles, including cancer cells, are present in the plume; 2) particles in this size range are too small to be effectively filtered by currently available surgical masks.
Nezhat
C
C
Fertility and Endocrinology Center, Atlanta, GA.
Winer
W K
WK
Nezhat
F
F
Nezhat
C
C
Forrest
D
D
Reeves
W G
WG
D000328:Adult; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008397:Masks; D008875:Middle Aged; D010316:Particle Size; D012906:Smoke / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*
D012906:Smoke