Investigation of Personnel's Occupational Exposure to Isoflurane Vapor in Hospital Operating Rooms in Sari, Iran

The personnel of the hospital operating room are constantly exposed to a level of anesthetics. The long-term exposure to anesthetic drugs is associated with adverse health effects, such as neurological effects, liver damages, spontaneous abortion, and congenital bnormalities. Considering the high level of isoflurane use and its anesthetic complications, the present study was conducted to investigate the concentration of soflurane vapor in the respiratory zone of operating room personnel in the hospitals of Sari, Iran. In this descriptive analytical cross-sectional study, the sampling was carried out from the concentration of isoflurane vapor in the respiratory zone of personnel in nine operating rooms of three hospitals in Sari based on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 103 method using a personal sampling pump and an absorbent tube (Anasorb 747) filled by activated charcoal. The samples were analyzed and determined using a gas chromatograph-flame ionization detector. The mean score of exposure of operating room personnel to isoflurane vapor was reported as 3.73±6.17 ppm with a maximum of 26.25 ppm and a minimum of 0.04 ppm. The concentration of isoflurane vapor in the respiratory zone of the operating room personnel was higher than the Recommended Exposure Limit by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health but lower than Occupational Exposure Limit proposed by the Health and Environment Center of Iran. It is worth mentioning that there was a significant and inverse relationship between the mean score of exposure and the duration of operation period. However, there was no significant difference between the mean scores in close and far positions. The obtained results of the present study showed that the exposure level of the operating room staff to isoflurane vapor was higher than the recommended exposure levels. Moreover, based on the results, it could be stated that different surgical conditions and operating room, as well as the duration of surgery, are the most effective factors on isoflurane vapor concentration in the operation room.