{
  "abstract": "Objective Surgical smoke generated during electrocautery procedures contains hazardous particulate matter (PM) such as PM 2.5 and PM1 0, which may compromise the respiratory health of operating room personnel. Although vacuum (Vac) systems are commonly used to reduce such exposure, their time-resolved effectiveness across surgical phases remains understudied. This study aims to fill that gap by applying time-normalized analyses to evaluate whether Vac use consistently reduces airborne particulate concentrations during surgery.Material and Methods This study analyzed real-time air quality data by DustTrak™ DRX Aerosol Monitor 8533 from 46 laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) surgeries conducted in the same operating room. Cases were randomly categorized into full-time Vac use (n=21) and no Vac use (n=15). Concentrations of PM 2.5, PM1 0, and total PM were continuously recorded. Surgical time was normalized and divided into 100 equal time bins. Mean pollutant levels across these bins were compared between Vac and non-Vac groups, stratified further by surgical complexity (LC: simple vs. complex).Results Vac-use surgeries consistently demonstrated lower PM 2.5 and PM1 0 levels across most of the procedure timeline, with statistically significant differences in high-concentration phases (p < 0.01). Total PM also trended lower with Vac use. Subgroup analysis by surgical complexity revealed that complex procedures (n=17) were associated with higher pollutant exposure overall than simple LC (n=29), but Vac implementation helped reduce extreme spikes and smoothed fluctuations.Conclusion Full-time use of Vac systems significantly reduces airborne PM exposure, particularly during complex procedures. Ongoing analyses with a larger sample size are underway to further substantiate the evidence supporting Vac implementation as a routine safety standard in electrosurgical protocols.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan. National Taiwan University (NTU) and NTU Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan"
      ],
      "name": "Ping Shih"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan. National Taiwan University (NTU) and NTU Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan"
      ],
      "name": "Hung-Hsuan Yen"
    }
  ],
  "title": "8279960 Real-time impact of surgical vacuum use on air particulate matter during electrocautery procedures",
  "uid": "4beb113b-5194-5bce-93cd-2faa1e65b39e"
}