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handling.
One manufacturer's
recent integration of
advanced bipolar and
ultrasonic cutting and
sealing energies into a
single handpiece has
already gained a signifi-
cant following due to
the efficiency and ver-
satility it offers, notes Stephen Cohen, MD, MBA, FACS, FASCRS, who practices
at Atlanta (Ga.) Colon and Rectal Surgery and chairs the department of surgery
at Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Ga. The device couples the 2
modalities to simultaneously seal and cut with minimal thermal spread, and lets
users switch between them when a surgical procedure calls for it.
Thermal fusion and plasma: advantageous
approaches
A technology known as thermal tissue fusion applies direct thermal energy and
pressure to vessels and tissue bundles to quickly and reliably seal, dissect and
coagulate in open or laparoscopic cases while avoiding some of the drawbacks
of advanced bipolar and ultrasonic methods, according to the manufacturer of
one such device.
A system of feedback between the handpiece and the energy source lets the
temperature be controlled and the cutting and sealing energy be delivered more
precisely. This response helps to minimize the risk of thermal spread. The speed
of the energy's effects also limits injury to adjacent tissue, and reduces fatigue in
the ergonomically taxed hands of laparoscopic surgeons. As thermal tissue
fusion works bladelessly, its components will not dull or jam or become
obstructed by remnants of charred tissue.
S U R G I C A L E N E R G I E S
INSIDE JOB Efficient laparoscopic
surgery depends on energy-based
cutting and sealing technology.
William
L.
Barrett,
MD
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