Louisiana Smoke Bill on the Move

Share:
Publish Date: April 27, 2023

Louisiana SB 29, a bill to ensure harmful surgical smoke is evacuated from every operating room in Louisiana, passed out of the Louisiana Senate by a unanimous vote on Monday, April 23, 2023. If enacted, the bill would require licensed healthcare facilities that use heat-producing equipment during surgical procedures to adopt and implement policies for the use of a surgical smoke plume evacuation system to mitigate and remove surgical smoke. The new law would go into effect August 1, 2023.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Gerald Boudreaux, was the result of a collaboration among local chapters, AORN and the Louisiana State Nurses Association (LSNA). The LSNA is leading the local advocacy efforts with support from AORN and the engagement of local AORN members.

Ahead of this legislative session, AORN conducted a survey of members in Louisiana to gather information about the availability and usage of surgical smoke evacuation equipment in their facilities. Eighty percent of respondents to the survey confirmed that their facility has smoke evacuation equipment; however, only 13% reported that smoke is always evacuated during smoke generating procedures.

SB 29 moves on now to the Louisiana House for consideration. The Louisiana legislature is scheduled to adjourn by June 8, 2023.

Related Articles

Own It

Leadership Essentials: Perioperative Staffing and Productivity

In the January issue of Periop Leader, a feature article provided Part One of the webinar, “Perioperative Staffing and Productivity.” In this issue, Part Two wraps up what you need to know to develop your budget in these areas.

A Team Approach to Optimizing Your Operating Room

In the recent Leader Exchange webinar that was presented by the AORN Center for Perioperative Leadership, a multi-disciplinary panel discussed their work to optimize their ORs. In the meantime, here are some quick tips that were provided by the panel experts from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.