Bill > HB1087

This bill requires all healthcare facilities in Maryland that perform surgical procedures to implement policies mandating the use of smoke evacuation systems by January 1, 2028. A "healthcare facility" is broadly defined to include hospitals, limited service hospitals, related institutions, ambulatory surgical facilities, and freestanding medical facilities. A "smoke evacuation system" is defined as equipment designed to capture and filter "surgical smoke" at its source before it can affect the eyes or respiratory systems of people in the operating room. "Surgical smoke" itself is described as the gaseous byproduct created by energy-generating surgical tools, encompassing terms like surgical plume, bio-aerosols, and laser-generated airborne contaminants, which can be harmful. This legislation aims to improve air quality and protect the health of patients and staff during surgeries that produce such smoke.