INTRODUCTION Anterior knee pain following total knee arthroplasty is estimated to occur in 4-49% of patients. Some orthopedic surgeons use circumpatellar electrocautery (diathermy) to reduce the prevalence of postsurgical anterior knee pain; however, the extent of its use is unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY In April 2009, a postal questionnaire was sent to all 98 departments of orthopedic s...

BACKGROUND Electrocautery, laser tissue ablation, and ultrasonic scalpel tissue dissection all generate a 'surgical smoke' containing ultrafine (<100 nm) and accumulation mode particles (< 1 mum). Epidemiological and toxicological studies have shown that exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with adverse cardiovascular and respiratory health effects. METHODS To measure the amoun...

A 39-year-old woman presented with symptoms of dyspnea. Ten years previously, she had received a tracheostomy because of the decision to not continue taking an anticonvulsant drug. Presently, chest computed tomography showed diffuse stenosis and focal web at the cervical trachea. We performed bronchoscopy and found a two-thirds reduction of the upper trachea due to the web-like fibrotic stenosi...

Therapeutic colonoscopy with electrocautery is widely used around the world. Adequate colonic cleansing is considered a crucial factor for the safety of this procedure. Colonic gas explosion, although rare, is one of the most frightening iatrogenic complications during colonoscopy with electrocautery. This complication is the result of an accumulation of colonic gases to explosive concentration...

Effective therapies for preventing perioperative complications such as thrombosis and inflammation after coronary endarterectomy (CE) are lacking. Electrocoagulation electrotomes have been routinely used in surgery for their cutting, clotting, and hemostatic properties. As strong flattening tools, their electrocautery function may prevent mechanical intimal-adventitial injury to arterial circul...

Electromagnetic interference in pacemakers has almost always been reported in association with the cutting mode of monopolar electrocautery and rarely in association with the coagulation mode. We report a case of electrocautery-induced electromagnetic interference with a DDDR pacemaker (dual-chamber paced, dual-chamber sensed, dual response to sensing, and rate modulated) in the coagulating and...

conclusions none of the factors were significantly related to developing burns. the differences between the two groups highlights the importance of systems modifications to lessen the incidence of burns. patients and methods this was a case-control study in which two groups of 150 patients undergoing cardiac surgery in imam khomeini hospital were recruited. several factors like gender, age, ope...

Due to recent improvements of safety conditions for therapeutic devices, electrocautery is being considered with renewed interest in the field of therapeutic bronchoscopy. The efficiency of this technique for destructing intraluminal tumours is well documented and makes it an attractive alternative to Yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) laser photo-coagulation. Little is known, however, about the mo...

BACKGROUND Laser has been the main ablative modality in the airways, but a growing experience with endobronchial electrocautery suggests a comparable efficacy and safety profile. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and safety of electrocautery as the primary heat therapy for malignant and benign airway obstruction. METHODS A retrospective review of all patients undergoing endobronchial elec...