Objective: To identify the composition of the smoke produced by electrocautery use during surgery.
Method: Integrative review with search for primary studies conducted in the databases of the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences, covering the studies published between 2004 and 2014.
Results: The final sample consisted of 14 studies grouped into three categories, namely; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile compounds and volatile organic compounds.
Conclusion: There is scientific evidence that electrocautery smoke has volatile toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds, and its inhalation constitutes a potential chemical risk to the health of workers involved in surgeries.