Outpatient Surgery Magazine

OR Excellence Awards 2015 - September 2015 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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here's a refresher. Plasma is considered the fourth state of matter in the universe, after gas, liquid and solid, says Vangie Dennis, BSN, RN, CNOR, CMLSO, director of patient care services at ASC Emory Health System in Atlanta, Ga. To create plasma, a form of energy is applied to a pressurized gas, which causes it to lose its electrons and become highly energized. This gives plasma unique properties, including rapid energy transfer, which is why it works well for cutting or coagulating tissue. Argon and helium are 2 common gases used in plasma formation. When it comes to how it's used in surgery, each plasma system oper- ates a little differently. "They have different applications and the ener- gy is created in a different way, depending on the model," says Ms. Dennis. However, the important thing to know is that the goal of plas- ma devices is the same — precise cutting and coagulation with mini- mal collateral tissue damage. The plasma scalpel Joshua Cooper, MD, works with is a monopolar device that uses pulsed radiofrequency waveforms to emit bursts of plasma from the "scalpel's" tip. His system is comprised of 3 compo- nents — a generator, a single-use handheld device and a grounding pad. To operate the scalpel, you first turn on the "toaster-sized" genera- tor, says Dr. Cooper, the director of cardiac electrophysiology at Temple University. This generator delivers the radiofrequency energy that creates the plasma pulses in the single-use handheld device. "It's like a pen," says Dr. Cooper. "In fact, I hold it just like a pen." The energy pulses surround the device's electrode tip — which is highly insulated compared to traditional electrosurgical tools — help- ing to protect against thermal injury. When the pulses of plasma touch the tissue, they generate a low-temperature heat that cuts or coagu- lates, depending on which button is pressed on the handpiece. Since 1 3 7 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T

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