B
right beams of light shoot out of handheld devices and
slice through human tissue with ease. It sounds like
something out of Star Wars, but the little lightsabers
being used in operating rooms around the country are
actually plasma devices designed to cut and coagulate
tissue without the harsh effects associated with traditional electro-
surgery.
The goal of these new devices is to deliver the precise cut of a
scalpel and effective coagulation with minimal lateral thermal tissue
damage. Unlike other electrosurgical devices, these tools use plasma
— a highly energized gas — to gently slice tissue and seal oozing
spots.
Is plasma right for you? Here's your primer on the science behind
these devices and how they could impact your ORs.
Quick primer on plasma
When the term plasma is mentioned in medicine, most people think of
a component found in blood. However, the plasma used in these cut-
ting and sealing devices is actually referring to something more com-
monly found among the stars and planets than in your patients.
If you can't remember back to the days of high school science class,
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O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5
These little 'lightsabers' let your surgeons gently slice
and seal tissue.
Kendal Gapinski | Associate Editor
