true with some technological
advances in the pipeline that
are slated to hit the market
soon. "There are some newer
generators that do multiple
things at once," says Dr.
Renton.
A basic, core understand-
ing of fundamental electro-
surgery principles will
ensure surgeons can safely
use any device, regardless of
the bells and whistles that
are included in the latest ver-
sions. "You have to under-
stand the energy delivery
profiles for the different
electrosurgery devices," says
Dr. Robinson. "Ultrasonic devices have very different complication
profiles than advanced bipolar devices, even though they both basical-
ly do the same thing."
The different energy modalities of electrosurgery operate differently,
and surgeons must understand those subtle differences, adds Dr.
Robinson. In addition to understanding the innerworkings of the
devices, surgeons should be acutely aware of the top safety risks. A
study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons
(bit.ly/2Uyjgbu) looked at nearly 4,000 electrosurgical complications
(injuries and deaths) that were reported to the FDA in the past 20
years and found the following incidents pose the top safety risks in
the OR:
5 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 2 0
• COLLATERAL DAMAGE Direct application injuries occur when the tip
of the device is placed too close to a vulnerable structure.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
