Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
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active and dispersive electrodes," says Mr. Burlingame. To improve your staff and surgeons' safety with all electrosurgical devices, keep the following tips from Mr. Burlingame in mind: Always use the low- est possible power setting, follow the devices manufacturer's instruc- tions for use at all times, do not bend or manipulate the active elec- trode tip and remember that only the operator of the device should use the foot pedal. 3. True or false: The difference between monopolar and bipolar elec- trosurgical instruments is that bipolar devices use a grounding pad while monopolar technologies do not. False. Trick question. Monopolar technologies require the use of a dispersive electrode, often referred to as a grounding pad, says Dr. Robinson. When using monopolar devices, an active electrode — typi- cally the tip of the Bovie pencil or other device — is used to apply the electrosurgical energy to the targeted tissue. The electrical current then passes through the patient to a return pad, and then back to the electrosurgery generator to complete the circuit. However, with bipo- lar instruments, the surgeon will use a set of forceps to hold the tis- sue, says Dr. Robinson. The electrical current passes from one side of the forceps, through the tissue and to the other side, and then returns back to the generator. Because the current is restricted to the tissue between the forceps, you won't need a dispersive electrode. 4. True or false: When there is no longer energy flowing through a harmonic scalpel or ultrasonic device, it is safe to touch the tip of the instrument. False. As more and more surgeons start picking up ultrasonic energy devices like the harmonic scalpel and the cordless, ultrasonic dissec- S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 8 7