By in General

It’s not all smoke and mirrors…

In 2007 the U.K. banned smoking in enclosed public spaces. We’ve banned smoking in public places, but we haven’t banned smoke in our NHS theatres.  You might be surprised to learn that surgeons, theatre staff and patients can still be exposed to high levels of toxins from surgical smoke.

NHS staff can be exposed to dangerous smoke on a daily basis.

Did you know that surgical smoke has the same damaging effects as tobacco?  So, smoke plume through the use of electrosurgical devices (such as harmonic scalpels, monopolar or bipolar forceps) in laparoscopic, general, neuro & spinal or laser surgery can have the same damaging effects as smoking up to 30 cigarettes per day!

“Surgical smoke can carry bacteria and viruses too. This really isn’t acceptable in a pandemic situation.”

Daniel Coole, surgical holdings

We think it’s time for that to change.  It’s important to protect patients and NHS workers, and at this time safety must be a priority.

We are proud to sell the Bovie Smoke Shark 2 – which uses a 4 stage filtration system to clean the air.  Removing 99.99% of all particles and micro-organisms.

Covid-19 is a highly contagious RNA virus with a size range of 0.06 to 0.14 microns – which is within the range of the Smoke Shark’s filtration effectiveness range. As theatres start operating more, risks of particle transmission need to be minimised with appropriate technology.

Covid-19 particles fit within the size range captured by the smoke shark. Trapping them in the filters, rather than allowing them to circulate in the air.

This surgical smoke evacuation system is compatible with most electrosurgical generators and is light-weight, ultra-quiet and compact – which allows for easy operation, storage, and portability.  

To find out more please download our guide or contact the Surgical Holdings office to speak to your local representative.