Electrocautery generates surgical smoke which is comprised of highly hazardous compounds. The concentration, composition, and size-distribution of surgical smoke varies significantly with surgery type, duration, and number of electrocautery use. Currently, limited research has been conducted evaluating exposures generated during animal surgeries. The objectives of the study are to quantify the particle number concentration and size-distribution during canine limb amputation (CLA) surgery and to quantify the exposure reductions associated with a smoke evacuator system (SES). We hypothesized that veterinary personnel are exposed to particles during CLA and a SES will significantly reduce contaminant concentration. Exposure to 10 to 400 nm particles during CLA was measured using a TSI NanoScan SMPS Nanoparticle Sizer 3910 during surgeries with and without the SES. Exposure reductions were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Particles were found across all sizes between 10 and 420 nm. The average count median diameter was 74 nm and 58 nm for the NSES and SES group, respectively. The particle number concentration was significantly reduced when using SES compared to the NSES group (p=0.003), with the largest reduction (80%) for 154 nm particles. Canine limb amputation was associated with nanoparticle exposures similar to those seen in human surgeries. The use of SES effectively reduced exposure to particles during CLA.
