Background: Laser procedures are becoming more prevalent across multiple medical specialties for a variety of indications. The plumes created by these lasers have raised concern for the dissemination of an infectious material.
Objective: To review and summarize the information on viral dissemination in laser plumes available in the literature.
Materials and methods: Data Sources A systematic review was performed on English and non-English articles using the PubMed and the Cochrane databases. A manual search of bibliographies from relevant articles was also performed to collect additional studies.
Study selection: Only articles in the English language with full texts available that pertained to viral particles in laser plumes were included. Data Extraction Two authors performed independent article selections using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Results: There have been case reports of possible transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV) by inhalation of laser-produced aerosols. Multiple investigators have attempted to recreate this scenario in the laboratory to qualify this risk. Others have conducted clinical experiments to determine the presence of HPV in laser plumes.
Conclusion: The current body of the literature suggests that laser surgeons are at a risk for HPV exposure by inhalation of laser-derived aerosols. We offer best practice recommendations for laser operators.