Discussion: Comparative healing of human cutaneous surgical incisions created by the PEAK PlasmaBlade, conventional electrosurgery, and a standard scalpel.

摘要

any of the operations we perform would potentially require blood transfusions, were it not for the genius of William Bovie and Harvey Cushing. My search of past Nobel laureates did not list William Bovie, but think of the impact his invention has had in surgery. The trusted electrosurgical unit has been around for decades as standard equipment in every operating room. Despite the benefits, there are some drawbacks of electrocautery use. As the device relies on heat generation to effect cutting and coagulation, there is collateral tissue damage. The burned surface area increases subsequent inflammation and fluid sequestration into newly created tissue planes, which leads to seroma formation postoperatively and increases the risk of possible other complications, such as infection.