surgery and laparoscopy. "It works for virtually anything," she says.
Plasma's gentle cutting and coagulation actions are also coupled
with several other benefits to enhance patient safety and outcomes.
Plasma
delivers more precise cuts than electrosurgery or even metal scalpels,
further improving wound strength and scarring. For example, one
company cites a study showing its plasma scalpel causes only 0.1 mm
of injury to surrounding tissue, compared with 0.8 mm caused by a
traditional steel device.
Along with their precision, plasma scalpels can also help reduce
bleeding by creating a thin, flexible seal in tissue as they cut, says Dr.
Cooper. "For a surgeon who uses this to slice through skin instead of
a metal scalpel or standard cautery device, you can do so with less
blood loss," he says.
There are other patient safety aspects to consider as well, says Ms.
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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
z BEAM OF LIGHT Plasma electrosurgery devices use ion-
ized gas to cut and coagulate with minimal tissue damage.