Florida's House Select Committee on Health Innovation has unanimously passed a House bill that would require Florida hospitals and ASCs to go surgical smoke-free by Jan. 1, 2025, according to a Jan. 16 report from Florida Politics.
Under the legislation, ASCs will be required to use a smoke evacuation system during any procedure that is likely to generate surgical smoke.
The system must capture, filter and eliminate smoke at the site of origin so that it cannot make contact with the eyes or respiratory tracts of people in the room.
An analysis estimates that the regulation will cost ASCs $10,000 a year per surgical suite. So far, 11 states have legislation in place that requires the use of surgical smoke evacuation systems.
Eight states require smoke evacuation systems be used in hospitals and surgical centers, and the other three require they be used in all facilities where surgical smoke is generated.