POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS: CORRELATION BETWEEN THE TIME OF ELECTROCAUTERY USE AND SURGICAL TIME

Abstract

The objective was to identify concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons produced by electrocautery smoke in operating rooms, correlating these concentrations with time of electrocautery and surgical use. This is a cross-sectional and quantitative field study carried out in 50 gastrointestinal surgical procedures, between April and July 2015, in a university hospital in the state of Paraná. Hydrocarbons were collected using a suction pump and measurements were determined through liquid chromatography. These compounds were found to have an average of 0.0058 mg.m-3 and a mean of 0.0049 mg.m-3. The mean surgical time and electrocautery use were 136 minutes and 220.5 seconds, respectively. The Spearman correlation test was -0.512 between concentration variables and surgical time, and -0.183 between the concentrations and electrocautery use. The conclusion was the presence of hydrocarbons and a low correlation between the production of these compounds and the electrocautery usage time.

Keywords

• Occupational exposure
• Occupational air pollutants
• Electrosurgery
• Protective devices