Shawn K. Horner, Graham Overstreet, Jeffrey W. Clymer* and Crystal D. Ricketts
Background: Electrosurgical smoke can interfere with visibility in the surgical field and can potentially be a harmful irritant to operating room staff. Smoke evacuators with adequate flow rates can reduce smoke at the surgical site, but their acceptance into practice has been slow, in part due to their noise. This study compared the Megadyne Smoke Evacuator to a conventional device in terms of flow rate and noise levels.
Methods: In the first series of tests, the Megadyne Smoke Evacuator was compared to a conventional device for noise levels at full flow rates and at comparable flow rates. In the second series, using the conventional smoke evacuator, the Megadyne Telescoping Smoke Evacuation Pencil was compared to the conventional pencil for noise levels at a comparable flow rate.
Results: The Megadyne Smoke Evacuator provided 52% higher maximum flow rate and was 7.0 dBA (39%) quieter (p<0.001). At comparable flow rates, Megadyne was 14.5 dBA (63%) quieter (p<0.001). The Megadyne Telescoping Pencil provided higher flow rates, while producing 4.8 dBA (28%) less noise.
Conclusions: Potential health concerns have led to the promulgation of local and national regulations regarding the use of smoke evacuators during electrosurgery. Removing smoke effectively while maintaining a low level of background noise can improve the working environment of the operating room staff. This study shows that Megadyne Smoke Evacuator and Pencil provide higher flow rates while being quieter than a conventional device.
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Journal of Surgery received 288 citations as per Google Scholar report
