Medical User S Guide For Laser Safety

This is a practical guide to the safe use of lasers in science, education, industry, telecommunications, entertainment and medicine. Henderson explains the nature of laser hazards and how to implement safety controls to international standards.

This text was designed for the physicians, nurses, technical personnel, and staff members of medical facilities using lasers for surgical, therapeutic, and diagnostic purposes. The objective is to provide an understanding of the potential health and safety hazards associated with the use of medical laser systems and the precautions needed to use them safely. To do this, it is necessary to have an awareness of applicable standargs and regula tions that apply to laser use. This book is not intended as a substitute for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z-136. 3, "Safe Use of Lasers in Health Care Facilities," but to facilitate its implementation as well as the implementation of the many other related regulations and guidelines that are pertinent. These other regulations include the Medical Device Amendments to the Food and Drug Act, the Federal Laser Product Performance Standards issued under the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act, and applicable regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The text is organized to provide first an overview of laser hazards, laser surgical applications, and laser biological effects. General safety control measures and safety standards are then presented. Because laser tech nology is rapidly evolving, these general guidelines will allow safe use of new laser systems as they become available. Finally, specific safety guide lines and precautions are provided for specialized laser applications in the different health care specialties.

Lasers were developed out of Einstein's theories, but the first work ing device was not produced until 1960. Since then, they have found applications in many areas of medicine, and hold promise for many more. This book has been written to provide a basic found ation on lasers - what they are, how they work, and what they can do for the patient. It assumes only a basic scientific background in the reader, and has many simple and clear diagrams. It should be of interest to clinicians, surgeons, nurses, safety officers, patients and interested laymen. The book consists of six chapters, and following a glossary of technical terms, begins with a brief discussion of the physics behind laser action. This section is illustrated with clear diagrams, and is written in an easy-to-follow style. It describes how laser light originates, and how it differs fundamentally from ordinary light. The remainder of the book is concerned with the use of lasers in medicine. Chapter 2 deals with the various ways in which a laser beam can interact with tissue, and shows how this depends on the particular laser being used. The following chapter describes some properties of those lasers which are most usually used in current medical practice, but also discusses new and experimental develop ments. There are various methods of getting the laser beam to the target tissue, and these are described in Chapter 4.

Contains the latest revision of ANSI standards for safe use of lasers. A workbench guide that explains how a laser works, what a laser beam can do to biological tissue and eyewear lenses, and how to work safely with lasers. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.