Ch. 15 Electrosurgery and Lasers Flashcards
Voltage (V)
difference in potential between two points
Will drive charged particles across a potential difference
Electrical current (I)
flow of electrical charges and measured in amperes
Resistance (R)
impedance and measured in Ohms
A material property
V = IR
current is directly proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance
W = VI
power or watts is equal to voltage times current
What current does electrosurgery work in
500 kHz
Pure cut electrosurgery: what kind of current and what wattage should be used?
Uninterrupted current
50-80 watts
Pure coagulation electrosurgery: what kind of current and what wattage?
Interrupted current
30-50 watts
Surgical diathermy
ability of electricity to form heat in living tissue
What factors influence thermal effects on tissue?
- watts
- electrode dwell time (length of exposure)
- contact type of the tissue to the active electrode
- the current
- tissue impedance
At what temperature will collagen be heated and its intramolecular cross links broken?
50-70 degrees celsius
At what temperature does tissue desiccation occur?
90 degrees celsius
cellular water completely evaporates
At what temperature will tissues be destroyed by cell wall rupture from the volumetric explosion of superheated steam? And what is this process called?
100 degrees celsius
Vaporization
At what temperature will tissue carbonization from dehydration occur?
250 degrees celsius
What temperature will cause inflammation and edema in tissues?
40 degrees celsius