International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Apr 2014
Chemical composition of surgical smoke formed in the abdominal cavity during laparoscopic cholecystectomy--assessment of the risk to the patient.
The aim of this study was to assess the exposure of patients to organic substances produced and identified in surgical smoke formed in the abdominal cavity during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. ⋯ The source of the compounds produced in the abdominal cavity during the surgery is tissue pyrolysis in the presence of carbon dioxide atmosphere. All patients undergoing laparoscopic procedures are at risk of absorbing and excreting smoke by-products. Exposure of the patient to emerging chemical compounds is usually a one-time and short-term incident, yet concentrations of benzene and toluene found in the urine were significantly higher after the surgery than before it.