Safety Issues in Laser Surgery

Introduction: The production of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) has grown rapidly in recent years. It is necessary to determine the amount of them for its effective management. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of WEEE stored in the houses of Yazd citizens and the level of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of citizens regarding WEEE management. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out using random sampling on 300 Yazdian citizens. To determine the amount of WEEE stored in houses and the level of KAP of people regarding WEEE, was used a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed and data analysis was performed using nonparametric tests in SPSS. Results: The amount of WEEE in the study population was 21.8 metric tons was obtained. Of these, the highest amount of waste was related to the refrigerator with 3.9 metric tons and the highest number of used equipment stored was related to cell phone, with 285 units. The levels of knowledge (with a mean score of 5.06 ± 2.5), attitude (with a mean score of 43.37 ± 5.21), and practice (with a mean score of 10.71 ± 2.95) were respectively in moderate, good and moderate conditions. Conclusion: Given planning by the Waste Organization leads to job creation, access to valuable raw materials, and environmental protection. With increasing knowledge about the proper use of electronic and electrical equipment, their useful life can be increased and the process of their conversion to waste can be extended.

Simple SummaryKidney-sparing surgery (KSS) and particularly endoscopic, has gained attractivity for the treatment of localized upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Endoscopy results in satisfactory oncological disease control while lowering morbidity and minimizing complications in appropriately selected patients. However, up to now, there is still no solid data as to which laser energy source is superior to the others. The goal of this review is to outline the results of endoscopic UTUC treatment using different lasers and to analyze how these laser-tissue interactions may affect the surgery. Herein, we report that data remains insufficient to support the superiority of one laser type over another in the endoscopic management of UTUC. The ever-growing number of indications for minimally invasive treatment and the increasing number of centers using laser surgery will, hopefully, lead to novel randomized controlled trials comparing the performance characteristics of the lasers as well as the effects on UTUC in patients.Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a relatively rare disease with an aggressive phenotype compared to urothelial carcinoma in the bladder. In recent years, kidney-sparing surgery (KSS) and, in particular, endoscopic surgery have become the procedure of choice among urologists where the treatment of localized UTUC is concerned. Endoscopy tends to result in satisfactory oncological disease control while lowering morbidity and minimizing complications amongst the appropriately selected cohort of patients. While endoscopic surgery for UTUC might appear to be standardized, it, in fact, differs considerably depending on the source of energy used for resection/ablation. There has been little reliable data up to now on which laser energy source is the most superior. The goal of this review is, therefore, to outline the results of endoscopic UTUC treatment using different lasers and to analyze how these laser-tissue interactions may affect the surgery. We start by pointing out that the data remains insufficient when trying to determine which laser is the most effective in the endoscopic management of UTUC. The ever-growing number of indications for minimally invasive treatment and the increasing number of centers using laser surgery will, hopefully, lead to novel randomized controlled trials that compare the performance characteristics of the lasers as well as the effects of UTUC on patients.

Accidental retinal laser injuries are easily diagnosed when there are known laser sources, typical macular injuries, and visual deficits consistent with retinal findings. Decisions are more difficult when retinal findings are subtle or absent, despite reported visual problems and somatic complaints. Inaccurate diagnosis of an ocular laser injury can precipitate a costly, lengthy sequence of medical and legal problems. Analysis of laser-tissue interactions and the characteristics of unambiguous retinal laser injuries provide 6 key questions to facilitate difficult diagnoses. Case reports demonstrate the usefulness of answering these questions before making diagnostic decisions. Retinal laser lesions that cause serious visual problems are readily apparent ophthalmoscopically and angiographically. Accidental, intentional, or clinical retinal laser lesions do not cause chronic eye, face, or head pains. Diagnosis of a retinal laser injury should be evidence based, not a matter of conjecture or speculation.

Editorial Note:Safety standards for hospital and medical electrical equipment are - or should be - an issue on which international change greatly accelerates progress. In the first issue of this Journal, Reidar Karlsen provided a Norwegian approach to the quality dilemma where medical devices are concerned, and in the second issue Cornelis van Gruting provided an analysis of public policies in the field. In this issue, we examine a complementary topic: the safety of electrical equipment as a whole in hospitals and clinics. The paper is published simultaneously in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and appears here with the permission of the Canadian Medical Association.

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is defined as "urban mines" due to the various recoverable minerals they contain. However, current WEEE classification methods are mostly limited to their physical characteristics, focusing on collection, transport, and treatment purposes rather than on valorization. In the present study, our aim is to propose an alternative classification approach adapted for low-income countries for WEEE recovery that highlights their content of precious and valuable metals. A typology of WEEE was created based on WEEE generated in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Principal component analysis (PCA) and the moving center technique (K-means) were used for the classification method. Ultimately, we have found that to improve the recovery of WEEE, they can be classified into three main groups: (i) a group of WEEE-containing batteries, (ii) a group of WEEE-containing valuable and precious metals, and finally, (iii) a group of WEEE made up of cathode ray tube televisions (CRT-TV) waste. The WEEE belonging to the second group are the ones that could generate higher economical values. This alternative classification approach will help investors and operators to better orient their valorization activities towards WEEE types that present the best precious metals recovery potential, maximizing their profits. On the other hand, decision-makers will find this classification useful for reorganizing the WEEE value chain.

End-of-life management of electric and electronic equipment: A literature review based on mapping knowledge domains

EU Directive 2011/65/EU (Restriction of Hazardous Substances 2) regulates the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Lead is ranked at the top of the list, even higher than mercury and cadmium. The heavy metal used as radiation shielding or for anti-scatter grids due to its high atomic mass is highly toxic and does not break down easily, which is why a weight proportion of only 0.1 percent is permitted in new electronic and electric equipment. It also has a low melting point of just 327°C, constituting an additional hazard in case of fire. The Bavarian company Wolfram Industrie offers an innovative, more environmentally friendly alternative with Triamet, a heavy metal alloy on a tungsten basis: thanks to its specific high density and the resulting radiation absorption capacity, the dimensionally stable product that is available in both an iron-nickel and a copper-nickel binder phase even shields against gamma radiation. While tungsten is normally difficult to process, it can be shaped into blanks using a powder-metallurgical process in this form. Subsequently these blanks can be processed further with little effort.

Towards a high quality recycling of plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment through separation of contaminated fractions

Discusses problems associated with counterfeited products. Any products that are purchased— PPE for workers or electrical equipment for use or installation— should be checked for signs of counterfeiting. A Source of Hazards to Workers hazard to industrial workers that gets little attention is the use of counterfeit electrical equipment and safety products. There have been many recent news articles about the seizure of counterfeit products, from electronics to medical supplies; the concern is that many untested or fake products make it into the supply stream. Most of the news is about consumer goods, and certainly fake toys, electronics, and other articles can be hazardous.

This article has no abstract. Keywords: laser–tissue interaction; laser surgery; laser tissue welding; refractive surgery; photoablation; photodynamic therapy (PDT); optical tweezer; laser scanning confocal microscopy; optical tomography

The generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been attributed to unprecedented consumption of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) globally. Hence, the issue of consumption and management of the associated WEEE warrant investigation. This study seeks to provide insight into households’ consumption of EEE in Ota, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to purposely administer questionnaire on 111 households’ heads/representatives in random manner. Data collected were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that rate in EEE consumption pattern reflects the appliances’ importance to the households. Also, signicant proportion of the households (81.5%) consumed new EEE, implying new EEE is preferred to purchase of used EEE. Decision to acquire new EEE is based on convenience rather than increased income or advertising as reported by 58%. Households’ sale of old EEE appears to suggest reuse or recycling. However, 20.3% of households threw away old EEE. The Chi-Square Tests revealed that there is statistical relationship between respondents’ income and preference to buy, repair or service EEE. This study recommends a holistic approach to research on EEE consumption, review of extant regulations on WEEE management and stakeholders’ engagement for inclusive WEEE management. Keywords : Consumption, Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Households, Management, Ota – Nigeria, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Electrical infrastructure equipment in the petrochemical and/or oil and gas industry in North America is generally 40 or more years old. The life and reliability of electrical equipment in this age range can be compromised due to operating conditions such as exposure to moisture and chemicals, loading, temperature, vibration, and mechanical stress over the life of the equipment. Electrical equipment operating and life cycle philosophies tend to vary from age based replacement to run-to-failure. This results in an ad-hoc approach for determining the appropriate time for equipment replacements or major repairs. Limited resources, funding, and other competing projects exacerbate the issue. An operating and life cycle management philosophy using preventive and predictive maintenance results to prioritize equipment replacements and/or improvement will help optimize how to determine when equipment repair or replacement is justified. This paper will describe a systematic risk based approach of prioritizing electrical equipment replacement and repair projects to improve electrical reliability and safety. The approach uses probability and consequence techniques for equipment repair or replacement.

Laser surgery requires accurate following of a path defined by the surgeon, while the velocity on this path is dependent on the laser-tissue interaction. Therefore, path following and velocity profile control must be decoupled. In this paper, nonholonomic control of the unicycle model is used to implement velocity-independent visual path following for laser surgery. The proposed controller was tested in simulation, as well as experimentally in several conditions of use: different initial velocities (step input, successive step inputs, sinusoidal inputs), optimized/nonoptimized gains, time-varying path (simulating a patient breathing), and complex curves with curvatures. Thereby, experiments at 587 Hz (frames/s) show an average accuracy lower than 0.22 pixels (~10 μm) with a standard deviation of 0.55 pixels (~25 μm) path following, and a relative velocity distortion of less than 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-6</sup> %.

NFPA 70E and NFPA 70B are companion Standards, and similarly CSA Z462 and CSA Z463 are companion Standards, both part of the Electrical Safety Trifecta of Standards when you include the NEC and the CE Code Part I. Fig. 1 Electrical safety trifecta NFPA 70B was updated in 2023 and renamed as “Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance.” The updated revision includes content and structural changes and specific prescriptive requirements such as an Electrical Maintenance Program (EMP) shall be implemented and documented by the electrical equipment owner. It identifies that the EMP be designed to function with the equipment owner's Electrical Safety Program (ESP). CSA Z463 also recognizes that it can be used to optimize the integration of other programs and systems such as an organization's ESP. Explicit to electrical hazard identification and risk assessment, and specific to likelihood of occurrence of an abnormal arcing fault and the resulting arc flash incident energy and arc flash boundary distance is the need to determine appropriate electrical equipment maintenance as identified in NFPA 70E 110.3(C)/NFPA Chapter 2, Article 200.1(1), (2) and (3) and CSA Z462 Clause 4.1.7.3 and more specifically Clause 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3. What are the synergies between an Electrical Safety Program (ESP) and Electrical Maintenance Program (EMP)? Could both programs address electrical equipment assets and work tasks performed on them? Could both programs include a similar qualitative risk assessment procedure and matrix? Can these two programs be best written in a common framework/table of contents to streamline the understanding and implementation by the employer with employees?

1 - Environmental problems and management aspects of waste electrical and electronic equipment and use of clean energy for sustainable development