5. Cordless power
There used to be a tradeoff
when it came to power
sources. Pneumatic-
powered instruments were
very popular for a long
time, but they have lots of
limitations. For one, they're
corded, and surgeons are
always concerned about
sterility. A cord to the
instrument has to travel
across the sterile field, then
down and out to an air sup-
ply. In that situation, you
have to be concerned about
the cord creeping into the
sterile field and causing
contamination. There's also
a tripping hazard with cords (I've seen people trip over cords on
more than one occasion). And pneumatic-powered instruments
don't always have the torque you sometimes need from power
tools.
Battery power was an alternative, but a lot of drivers relied on nick-
el-cadmium batteries. The big problem with those is memory. If a sur-
geon is doing multiple procedures in which the instrument is operat-
ing for a short time, eventually the instrument learns as it's recharged
that it only needs to run for that short period of time. Then, when you
suddenly find yourself in a longer procedure, the battery doesn't last.
But battery technology has also improved. A lot of companies have
gone to sterilizable lithium-ion batteries, so the battery is charged,
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z PERCEPTIVE CHOICES Newer handpieces can recognize
attachments and adjust speeds and modes automatically.
