WI SB442

Hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers must adopt policies requiring smoke evacuation systems during surgical procedures likely to generate surgical smoke

Surgical smoke includes gaseous byproducts from energy-generating devices such as surgical plume, bio-aerosols, laser-generated airborne contaminants, and lung-damaging dust

Smoke evacuation systems must capture and filter surgical smoke at the site of origin before it contacts the eyes or respiratory tract of operating room occupants

Health care providers may opt out of using smoke evacuation if they conclude it is not necessary or advisable for a particular surgical procedure

Department of Health Services is directed to enforce these requirements