Heart surgeons use cell phones in surgery
Research from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY, documents that heart bypass technicians admit to using their cell phones during surgery, but they also contend that the practice is unsafe.1
There were 439 respondents, with age ranges of 20-30 years (14.2%), 31-40 years (26.5%), 41-50 years (26.7%), 51-60 years (26.7%), and more than 60 years (5.9%). The use of a cell phone during the performance of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was reported by 55.6% of perfusionists. Sending text messages while performing CPB was acknowledged by 49.2%.
For smart phone features, perfusionists report having accessed e-mail (21%), used the internet (15.1%), or have checked/posted on social networking sites (3.1%) while performing CP
B.
Safety concerns were expressed by 78.3% who believe that cell phones can introduce a potentially significant safety risk to patients. Speaking on a cell phone and text messaging during CPB were regarded as "always an unsafe practice" by 42.3% and 51.7% of respondents, respectively. Personal distraction by cell phone use that negatively affected performance was admitted by 7.3%, whereas witnessing another perfusionist distracted with phone/text while on CPB was acknowledged by 33.7% of respondents.
The researchers noted that there are clear generational differences in opinions on the role and/or appropriateness of cell phones during bypass.
"This survey suggests that the majority of perfusionists believe cell phones raise significant safety issues while operating the heart-lung machine. However, the majority also have used a cell phone while performing this activity," the authors wrote. "Such distractions have the potential to be disastrous."
Reference
1. Smith T, Darling E, Searles
B. 2010 Survey on cell phone use while performing cardiopulmonary bypass. Perfusion 2011; 26:375-380.
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