News & Announcements
Surgical Smoke Evacuation Mandate Becomes Law
posted: August 25, 2021
Campaign organizers to speak at IASCA Annual Meeting Sept. 22nd in Lisle, IL
Illinois became the fifth state to go surgical smoke free on August 20th when Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation (SB 1908) requiring hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to have a policy for surgical smoke evacuation.
Currently, surgical facilities individually make their own surgical smoke evacuation policies and practices. According to published reports, the new law requires hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to adopt policies to ensure the elimination of surgical smoke plume with an appropriate evacuation system for every procedure that generates surgical smoke plume as a result of the use of energy-based devices, including electrosurgery and lasers. The law takes effect January 1, 2022.
Rebecca Vortman, clinical assistant professor of population health nursing science in the UIC College of Nursing, and Penny Smalley, an independent nurse consultant and director of education and regulatory affairs for the International Council on Surgical Plume, were instrumental in getting the law passed and will discuss the advocacy campaign, as well as the new requirements, at the IASCA 2021 Annual Meeting on September 22nd in Lisle, IL (Full Program).
As reported by UIC Today, Rebecca Vortman said this law is important for future health care workers.
“For me, it’s about my daughter and the current and future perioperative workforce. If my daughter decides to pursue a career in the operating room, I want to make sure she’s working in a safe work environment. I don’t want her or any surgical team members to be exposed to the harmful contaminants of surgical smoke plume,” Vortman said.
Register today for the IASCA 2021 Annual Meeting.