Safety and Complications

ASLMS recognizes the critical need for the implementation of safety measures and appropriate training for physicians and staff performing procedures with lasers and related energy-based devices.

hoopman-john

John Hoopman, AAS, CMLSO
ASLMS Safety Director

rahman-zakia

Zakia Rahman, MD
ASLMS Laser Safety Board Representative

ASLMS Safety Resources

The ASLMS Safety Awareness Committee has developed a series of instructional videos and additional resources to highlight laser safety.

access safety resources

ASLMS Online Learning Center FAQ's

ASLMS Safety Resources Include:

Laser Safety Eyewear
Learn about the significance of laser-protective eyewear and how to select the right eyewear based on laser specifications.
- VIDEO: Appropriate Protective Eyewear
- VIDEO: Patient Protective Eyewear & Lasers: Important Considerations
- RESOURCE: Laser Eyewear Audit Booklet
ACCESS NOW
Overview of Safety Principles
ASLMS recognizes the critical need for the implementation of safety measures and appropriate training for physicians and staff performing procedures with lasers and related energy-based devices. Gain access to laser safety checklists, tips, and guides.
- VIDEO: Laser Safety Checklist Walkthrough
- VIDEO: The Importance of a Laser Safety Protocol with Nazanin Saedi, MD
- RESOURCE: Laser Safety Checklist | PDF
- RESOURCE: Laser Safety Checklist | Word
- RESOURCE: ASLMS Laser Safety Guide in Dermatology and Plastic Surgery
- VIDEO: Safety Tips for Using Multiple Lasers on the Same Patient
- RESOURCE: Device Specific Checklists for Laser Safety
ACCESS NOW
Occupational Hazards of Surgical Plume and How to Mitigate Them
Learn about the occupational hazards of surgical plume and how to mitigate them, and read the ASLMS Laser and Energy Device Plume Position Statement.
- VIDEO: The Occupational Hazards of Surgical Plume and How to Mitigate Them
- RESOURCE: ASLMS Laser and Energy Device Plume Position Statement
ACCESS NOW
Safety Stories from ASLMS Members
Listen to stories from ASLMS members that focus on safety. Discover how they implement safety measures in their clinics, the importance of safety, and share safety-related experiences from their careers.
- VIDEO: Laser Safety Perspectives from Leading Plastic Surgeons
- VIDEO: Dr. Christopher Zachary's Safety Story
- VIDEO: Safety Insights with Dr. Eric Bernstein
- VIDEO: Dr. Christopher Zachary's Safety Insights
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Safety Signage
Discover more about safety signage and understand what types of signage you should be using.
- VIDEO: Laser Safety Signage
ACCESS NOW

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Resource Preview

ASLMS Safety Director John Hoopman, CMLSO, walks us through the Laser Safety Guide for Health Care Facilities, a comprehensive checklist. Recorded at the ASLMS 2022 Annual Conference.

Other Safety Resources

Recommendations to Reduce Surgical Fires and Related Patient Injury: FDA Safety Communication

The FDA is reminding health care professionals and health care facility staff of factors that increase the risk of surgical fires on or near a patient. The FDA also recommends practices to reduce these fires from occurring, including the safe use of medical devices and products commonly used during surgical procedures. Read More
Fundamental Use Of Surgical Energy™ (Fuse) - A Sages Fundamentals Program

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) developed the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy™ (FUSE) program to meet the need for increased education and training in the principles and properties of operating electrosurgical instruments safely. FUSE is designed to certify that a successful candidate has the demonstrated knowledge fundamental to the safe use of surgical energy-based devices in the operating room, endoscopic suite, and other procedural areas. Learn More
Additional Safety Resources

Safety Director John Hoopman, CMLSO co-authored these publications for the Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
The Role of the Laser Safety Officer and Laser Safety Programs in Clinical Practice
Laser and Light-Based Device Education in a Plastic Surgery Residency Program: A Continuing Medical Education Overview
Safety Guidelines Concerning the Use of Protective Eyewear and Gauze During Laser Procedures
Five Parameters You Must Understand to Master Control of Your Laser/Light-Based Devices
The Effects of Aesthetic Lasers on Three Study Materials Used for Ocular Protection

ANSI Z136.3 (2018)

ASLMS members have been actively involved in developing the recommended guidelines for safe use of lasers in health care, known as American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers in Health Care, ANSI Z136.3. The standard was last revised in 2018.

A copy of ANSI Z136.3 (2018) Safe Use of Lasers in Health Care can be purchased from the Laser Institute of America (LIA).

ASC Z136-2018 is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Standards Committee for the Z136 series of laser safety standards. These standards are the United States' national consensus standards for laser safety. Developed and maintained by the committee, the standards describe procedural standards of practice for the patient and staff in order to control the safety hazards associated with laser utilization. The ANSI document also describes the safety requirements, including the engineering and administrative control measures necessary to establish a facility-based Laser Safety Program. In addition, methodologies for properly conducting a Laser Hazard Evaluation per laser system are included with a description of the Maximum Permissible Exposures (MPE), Nominal Hazard Zones (NHZ), and associated laser protective eyewear‘s Optical Density (OD) required to reduce the exposure risks to lasers and laser systems.

ASLMS Representatives for the Laser Institute of America Z136 Committee for Safety

Rebecca L. Sprague, RN, NP‑C
Primary Representative

Macrene R. Alexiades, MD, PhD
Alternative Representative

Laws and Regulations of Laser Operation in the United States

The laws and regulations governing laser operation in the United States are vague, complex, and vary from state to state. A study, originally published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine in 2018, presented an overview of the laws and regulations of laser operation in each of the 50 states. See study. The authors performed an extensive online search of the law in each of the 50 states by examining multiple state cosmetology boards, state legislative boards, state nursing boards, and state medical boards. The principal author, Catherine DiGiorgio, MD, compiled the laws and regulations into a chart with links to online resources by state, and categorized which states consider the use of lasers as the "practice of medicine." Laser regulations are best divided into three categories: delegation (who can delegate a laser procedure to another provider or individual), level of supervision required (to what extent the operation of a laser requires supervision and who is qualified to supervise), and operation (who can fire the laser).

Laser Regulations 2019

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Annual Conference

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