Hospitals

Stryker’s Goal is Zero Smoke

By Stryker Nov 1, 2021 8:00am

New data is revealing the dangerous threat behind surgical smoke exposure in operating rooms (OR). Approximately 500,000 healthcare workers are exposed to electrosurgical smoke in the OR each year.1 77% of the particles in surgical smoke are not adequately filtered out by standard surgical masks, leaving HCPs at serious risk for chronic bronchitis, carcinoma, leukemia, cardiovascular disfunction and more.2

Surgical smoke contains up to 150 chemicals, including 16 EPA priority pollutants.3,4 The particles also can carry potentially viable diseases like HIV and HPV DNA, hepatitis B, melanoma, and tumor cells, putting staff at risk for transmission.5-10 This increasing evidence of health dangers has encouraged hospitals to create a safer environment for their patients and doctors. That is why hospitals are partnering with Stryker to implement the Smoke-Free OR program.

The turning point for one director of surgery, Kim York, was learning one day in the OR can have the same impact as smoking 27 cigarettes a day.11 “It’s not mandated, it’s not pushed by anybody, but we knew we had to do something about it.” This led her to work with Stryker to reduce the smoke in her hospital’s ORs.

Implementing this change won’t go unnoticed. OR nurses who work with surgical smoke have double the incidence of respiratory problems compared to the average person.12 “It’s nasty, it’s hard to breathe in, it’s irritating, it’s toxic,” one OR nurse described. That is why 93% of nurses feel more comfortable with a smoke evacuator in the OR, and 97% believe that integrating smoke evacuation into their insufflation tubing would give them more time to focus on patient needs due to reduced equipment management.3,13 This is why organizations like ACS, AORN, and SAFES have recommendations on the use of filtration technologies.

Stryker’s Smoke-Free OR program educates and guides hospitals along their Journey to Zero, a commitment Stryker encourages all hospitals to make. Stryker’s products help protect against OR hazards by providing safe, effective smoke evacuation. Products available include:

To help hospitals on their commitment to zero smoke, Stryker also has customized Flex Financial options to meet unique business goals, offering payment plans or paying through the regular purchase of disposables to accommodate as many needs as possible. Additionally, Stryker’s Learn Program reviews the dangers of smoke plume and provides continuing education for anyone on their Journey to Zero.

When asked about surgical smoke, another OR nurse commented, “There needs to be a change of culture.” Stryker hopes to move the healthcare industry to help improve safety measures taken to protect its employees and make the OR a safer place to be for doctors and nurses while they’re protecting patients.

To learn more about how you can start your Journey to Zero with Stryker, visit https://www.safeor.com.

  1. Alp, E. et al. “Surgical Smoke and Infection Control.” Journal of Hospital Infection, January 2006. Web. Accessed March 3, 2016
  2. Bree K., Barnhill, S., Rundell, W. “The Dangers of Electrosurgical Smoke to Operating Room Personnel”. Workplace Health & Safety (2017), 65(11), 517-526.
  3. Pierce, J.S. et al. “Laser-Generated Air Contaminants from Medical Laser Applications: A State-of-the-Science Review of Exposure Characterization, Health Effects and Control.” Journal of Occupational Environmental Hygiene. (2011): 8.7: 447-66.
  4. Andreasson, S. et al. “Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Electrocautery Smoke during Peritonectomy Procedures.” Journal of Environmental and Public Health (2012): 1-6
  5. Baggish, M.S. et al. “Presence of human immunodeficiency virus DNA in laser smoke.” Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 11.3 (1991):197-203
  6. Garden, J.M. et al. “Papillomavirus is the vapor of carbon dioxide laser-treated verrucae.” The Journal of the American Medical Association 8 (1988): 1,199-1,202
  7. Ferenczy, A. et al. “Carbon dioxide laser energy dispenses human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid onto treatment fields.” The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 163 (1990): 1,271-1,27
  8. Sawchuk, W.S. et al. “Infectious papillomavirus in the vapor of warts treated with carbon dioxide laser or electrocoagulation: detection and prevention.” The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 21(1989): 41-49
  9. Fletcher, J.N. et al. “Dissemination of melanoma cells within electrocautery plume.” The American Journal of Surgery 178 (1999):57-59
  10. Garden, J.M. et al. “Viral disease transmitted by laser-generated plume (aerosol).” Archives of Dermatology 138.10 (2002): 1303-1307
  11. Hill, D.S. et al. “Surgical Smoke – a health hazard in the operating theatre. A study to quantify exposure and a survey of the use of smoke extractor systems in UK plastic surgery units.” Journal of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery (2012): 1-6.
  12. Ball, K. “Compliance with Surgical Smoke Evacuation Guidelines: Implications for Practice.” AORN Journal 92.2 (2010): 142-149.
  13. Data on File: Marketing Literature, 1000902407

The editorial staff had no role in this post's creation.