Surgical Smoke Evacuation: Seeing is Believing

Arkansas Capitol Surgical Smoke Demonstration

AORN members across the country are educating their nursing colleagues and state legislators about the hazards of surgical smoke and need for smoke evacuation legislation in their states.

In February, Kenny Worley, RN, BSN, CNOR, attended the Arkansas Nurses’ Association’s (ARNA) Nurses Day at the Capitol and presented the issue of surgical smoke and the need for statewide smoke evacuation requirements to nurses and student nurses in attendance.

Photo: Kenny Worley shares information on the hazards of surgical smoke with Arkansas Rep. Tippi McCullogh.

Later that day, Worley and Tiffany Spivey, RN, MAT, MBA, BSN, CNOR, provided a hands-on demonstration of surgical smoke evacuation at the Arkansas State Capitol. Legislators and staff were given the opportunity to use electrocautery to dissect a chicken breast and observe how the surgical smoke created could be evacuated with the use of a surgical smoke evacuation system.

Photo: Tiffany Spivey and Kenny Worley demonstrate smoke evacuation to Arkansas Rep. Mary Bentley.

“Seeing really is believing,” said Worley. “The legislators who were able to participate in the demonstration were immediately supportive of smoke evacuation legislation in Arkansas.” The ARNA is laying the groundwork this year for successful smoke evacuation legislation, and AORN expects to work with the ARNA on a smoke evacuation bill in 2025.

If you are interested in providing a surgical smoke evacuation demonstration to legislators and stakeholders in your state, email Jennifer Pennock to learn more about how to coordinate such an event with AORN and your local medical device representative.