Surgical Smoke and Discovery of Electrosurgery

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Introduction
Since the discovery of electrosurgery in the 1900s, it has been widely used to cut tissues and produce the minimum amount of blood through coagulation secondary to the heat and vaporization which diffuses the small particles and cellular fluid into thin air. Thus, generating a plume (Lindsey, Hutchinson, & Mellor, 2015).
Occupational hazards are often present during electrosurgeries secondary to the dangerous organic and inorganic compounds that are released by surgical smoke. Studies have shown that the surgical smoke released during a plastic surgery is comparable to approximately 27 to 30 cigarettes per day. Laparoscopic surgeries also create a closed gaseous environment that results in the systemic absorption of lethal compounds (Bree, Barnhill, & Rundell, 2017).
Animal studies demonstrated congestive pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and emphysema. On the other hand, studies from the bronchial tissues of sheep experimental subjects revealed a reduced arterial PO2, reduced tracheal mucus velocity, and serious inflammation accompanied by a drastic increase in the inflammatory cells. All of these events lead to a decrease in the oxygenation secondary to reduced blood flow to the other organ systems (Lee, Soo, LeBouf, et al., 2018).
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) identifies around 500, 00 at risk operating room (OR) personnel in the United States. These include surgeons, anesthesiologists, surgical and anesthesiology residents, and nurses (Lee, Soo, LeBouf, et al., 2018). Due to the factors stated, scientists have demonstrated interest in ascertaining and analyzing the components of surgical plumes and the protective measures provided to the OR staff (Bree, Barnhill, & Rundell, 2017).
Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (n.d.) has surveyed the health practices of health workers, especially in the OR. This study has revealed that surgical smoke also contributes to the spread of communicable diseases caused by bacteria and viruses. It has been found that there is an increased human papillomavirus (HPV) transmission from the smoke generated by the lasers and more than 5 million healthcare workers are exposed to this hazard annually.
The primary cause of the spread of the diseases may be due to poor ventilation. Only 47% of the respondents informed the lack of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) in their OR or if present, LEV is usually used during laser surgery and not during an electrosurgery. 44-49% of the participants stated that the employers do not provide training addressing the occupational hazards of surgical smoke and the majority of employers do not have protocols concerning this. Furthermore, 90% of laser surgery respondents and 98% of the electrosurgery respondents have revealed that their employers only provide laser masks or surgical masks that do not offer optimal respiratory protection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.).
Many nurses, especially the advanced practice nurses (APN), are also being exposed to this hazard yearly. These hazards may lead to several mortalities and morbidities of healthcare workers annually. However, these haz...