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6/4/2018
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Governor signs McNamara, Coyne bill to require hospitals to address ventilation of surgical smoke
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STATE HOUSE — Gov. Gina Raimondo has signed legislation introduced by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston) and Sen. Cynthia A. Coyne (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence) that will require hospitals to adopt policies relating to surgical smoke.
The law (2018-H 7082, 2018-S 2238) requires all hospitals and freestanding ambulatory surgical facilities licensed in Rhode Island to adopt policies to use a smoke evacuation system for surgical procedures that generate surgical smoke.
Surgical smoke is the by-product of use of energy-generating devices including surgical plume, smoke plume, bio-aerosols, laser-generated airborne contaminants, and lung-damaging dust.
Hospitals are required to report to the Department of Health within 90 days that policies regarding surgical smoke ventilation have been adopted.
For more information, contact:
Daniel Trafford, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-1922
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