Abstract

Surgical smoke [1] consists of gases, vapors and aerosols produced during surgery with lasers, ultrasonic scalpels and electroknives. In open surgery this smoke is produced in air, whereas in laparoscopic (minimally invasive surgery) it is usually produced in a carbon dioxide atmosphere. Three aspects of surgical smoke are important with respect to patient and medical staff safety: the chemical composition (gases/vapors), the biological composition (cells and cell fragments), and the particulate composition (sooth/aerosols).

© 2009 IEEE