Colorado passed legislation requiring ASCs and hospitals to adopt policies preventing surgical smoke exposure, Infection Control Today reports.
What you should know:
1. Colorado is following in the footsteps of Rhode Island, which passed surgical smoke legislation in 2018. It was the first state to do so.
2. Surgical smoke comes from the destruction of human tissue by common surgical devices such as lasers and electrocautery knives. Prolonged exposure to the toxic gases, viruses and materials in surgical smoke can cause serious and deadly respiratory diseases.
3. Laws targeting surgical smoke will help states draw and retain top talent, according to Amy Hader, director of government affairs for the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses. Opponents say surgical smoke laws are unreasonable and rob healthcare provivders of the chance to self-regulate.
