OBJECTIVE To conduct an adequately powered, prospective, randomised, controlled trial comparing adult dissection tonsillectomy using either ultrasonic scalpel, bipolar electrocautery, bipolar radiofrequency or 'cold steel' dissection. METHODS Three hundred patients were randomised into four tonsillectomy technique groups. The operative time, intra-operative bleeding, post-operative pain, tons...

BACKGROUND The application of radiofrequency electrocautery to a standard, open-ended transseptal needle has been used to facilitate transseptal puncture (TSP). The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of cardiac tissue coring when this technique is used. METHODS AND RESULTS A model using excised swine hearts submerged in a saline-filled basin was developed to simulate TSP wit...

BACKGROUND Despite the common use of conventional electrocautery in modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer, the harmonic scalpel is recently emerging as a dominant surgical instrument for dissection and haemostasis, which is thought to reduce the morbidity, such as seroma and blood loss. But the results of published trials are inconsistent. So we made the meta-analysis to assess the intr...

We report a case of electrocautery-induced pacemaker failure that resulted in asystole in a 15-year-old girl scheduled for cardiac surgery. Her pacemaker was converted to the asynchronous mode the night before surgery. Electromagnetic interference from the unipolar electrocautery caused a reduction in the battery voltage, which allowed the digital circuitry, but not the voltage control oscillat...

This brief report highlights three cases of iatrogenic electrocautery burns with review of the relevant published literature. The aim is to prompt awareness among surgeons and theatre staff regarding this avoidable hazard associated with the equipment frequently used for the purpose of electrocautery. This may serve as a reminder to professionals to be cautious about the pitfalls that lead to s...

introduction: as far as application of chemicals as disinfectants may have side effects on human health and causes drug resistance, the topic of herbal and natural products has been investigated in recent researches. nevertheless, application of medicinal smokes in the treatment of many diseases, including bacterial and infectious diseases has long been popular in iran. smoke from the burning o...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to retrospectively examine the postoperative pulmonary fistula as a complication after the use of either electrocautery or a harmonic scalpel without stapling devices. PATIENTS AND METHODS The subjects of this study consisted of 28 patients who received a segmentectomy for a pulmonary malignant tumor, 25 cases of lung cancer and 3 of metastatic lung tumor....

Abstract The debate about which surgical technique for tonsillectomy could be superior over another is continuous. Tonsillectomy techniques are classified into cold and hot procedures. In techniques, no heat used; they include dissection, guillotine, microdebrider, harmonic scalpel, cryosurgery. Hot electrocautery, coblation, radio frequency, laser. Egypt, the used methods dissection with elect...

Introduction Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the most commonly done, minimally invasive surgical procedure. Routinely used electrocautery produces more smoke, which masks the operating field, thereby prolongs the surgery and posing an increased risk of gallbladder (GB) perforation. The titanium clips used for clipping the cystic artery and cystic duct have a risk of slippage, which may lea...

BACKGROUND Electrocautery has been proven to be associated with prolonged serous drainage that might result in several complications in patients requiring axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer. We proposed that the Harmonic Focus might outperform electrocautery in axillary lymph node dissection, resulting in shorter operative times and reduced postoperative complications. PATIENTS ...