Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1975 Sep 27;3(5986):764-5.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.3.5986.764-a.

Letter: Laparoscopy explosion hazards with nitrous oxide

J S Robinson, J M Thompson, A W Wood

Letter: Laparoscopy explosion hazards with nitrous oxide

J S Robinson et al. Br Med J. .

Abstract

PIP: Carbon dioxide was previously used as the inflating gas during laparoscopic sterilization. It has been largely replaced by nitrous oxide because the carbon dioxide caused undesirable side effects following absorption. Nitrous oxide will support combustion when mixed with hydrogen and/or methane. Both these gases are present in sufficient proportion in intestinal gas. The temperature at diathermy electrodes is higher than necessary to support an explosion of the surrounding gas mixture. Xenon is another gas which could be used as a laparoscopy inflating gas, but it is much more expensive than nitrous oxide or carbon dioxide. Due to the danger of explosion with nitrous oxide, the use of carbon dioxide is recommended.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Br Med J. 1972 Feb 12;1(5797):411-3 - PubMed
    1. Gastroenterology. 1970 Dec;59(6):921-9 - PubMed
    1. Br J Anaesth. 1974 Dec;46(12):925-8 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources