Smoke in the operating theater: an unregarded source of danger.

Monopolar electrocautery devices are being used in operating theaters worldwide and have become a "sine qua non" in modern surgery. Despite being widespread, the use of electrocautery is not harmless, because by burning the tissue with rather low temperatures as compared with usual combustion, toxic gases evolve and particles are dispersed and are inhaled by the staff in the operating theater. Samples of this smoke, which evolves particularly densely during reduction mammaplasty, were analyzed using a carbon dioxide laser photoacoustic spectrometer.