SurgiQuest AirSeal CO2 Gas Quality

The SurgiQuest AirSeal system is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as access port for laparoscopic surgery that utilizes an invisible air curtain rather than a mechanical barrier to maintain pneumoperitoneum. In addition to the cannula, there is special filtration tubing and an air pump that act in concert with an existing CO2 insufflator. The system has been approved for use and purchase at Baystate Medical Center by the value analysis committee. Despite FDA approval and extensive laboratory testing, there is still no human data regarding intraperitoneal CO2 levels under a variety of conditions one would normally experience during a laparoscopic operation. The specific aim of this study is to measure these levels during laparoscopic cases in humans. We hypothesize that there will be no more than minimal alteration of intraperitoneal CO2 levels when using the AirSeal system when compared to the standard laparoscopic system. The follow-up to this is examining evidence of extraperitoneal gas extravasation. This will occur as part of routine post-operative care, but we will be collecting data, that will be de-identified in the post-operative period.