Franklin Memorial Hospital staff were recognized for eliminating hazardous smoke during surgical procedures. Pictured in the front row: nurse Sara Trask, nurse Jaime Roberts, Jessica Koehling, certified surgical technologist. Second row: Danielle Tannenbaum and Kristin Scott, both certified surgical technologists. Back row: nurses Samantha Mallett and Nicole Abell.
FARMINGTON — Franklin Memorial Hospital has earned the Go Clear Award for its achievement in eliminating hazardous smoke from its surgical procedures.
The Go Clear Award is presented by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses to recognize health care facilities that have committed to providing increased surgical patient and health care worker safety by implementing practices that eliminate smoke caused by the use of lasers and electrosurgery devices during surgery. FMH earned its award by undergoing comprehensive surgical smoke education and testing and for providing the medical devices and resources necessary to evacuate surgical smoke during all smoke-generating procedures.
Surgical smoke is the unwanted by-product of energy-generating devices that are used in 90% of all surgeries. Its contents include toxic chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide, viruses, bacteria, blood and cancer cells. Inhalation and absorption of surgical smoke pose serious health risks to patients and surgical staff.
Franklin Memorial Hospital is just the second hospital in the state of Maine to earn this distinction.
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