Potential health hazards from waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) have been a concern since the introduction of inhalational anesthetics into clinical practice. The potential to exceed recommended exposure levels (RELs) in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) exists. The aim of this pilot study was to assess @entity2614 WAG levels while accounting for factors that affect inhalational anesthetic elimination. In this pilot study, 20 adult day surgery @entity1 were enrolled with anesthesia maintained with @entity2614 . Following extubation, exhaled WAG from the @entity1 breathing zone was measured 8 inches from the @entity1 's mouth in the PACU. Maximum @entity2614 WAG levels in the @entity1 breathing zone exceeded National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) RELs for every 5-minute time interval measured during PACU Phase I. Observed WAGs in our study were explained by inhalational anesthetic pharmacokinetics. Further analysis suggests that the rate of washout of @entity2614 was dependent on the duration of anesthetic exposure. This study demonstrated that clinically relevant inhalational anesthetic concentrations result in @entity2614 WAG levels that exceed current RELs. Evaluating peak and cumulative @entity2614 WAG levels in the breathing zone of PACU Phase I and Phase II providers is warranted to quantify the extent and duration of exposure.

Evaluation of Waste Anesthetic Gas in the Postanesthesia Care Unit within the XXXX Breathing Zone.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity2614 :: ('MESH:C009250', 'Chemical') :: ['sevoflurane']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['Patient']
