Electrosurgery Flashcards
what is bipolar electrosurgery?
active output and patient return are both at surgery site
current path confined to tissue between forceps
what is monopolar electrosurgery?
active electrode is in the wound
patient return electrode is attached somewhere else
current must flow through the patient
what does electrocautery refer to?
direct current
what are the four components of a monopolar circuit?
generator
active electrode
patient
patient return electrode
what is important about the electrosurgical generator with safety?
minimal neuromuscular stimulation
no risk of electrocution
waveform affects ___________ heat is produced
rate
what are some variables that impact tissue effect?
waveform
power setting
size of electrode
time
manipulation of electrode
type of tissue
eschar
what is the preferred pathway back in isolated electrosurgical systems?
patient return electrode
what is the difference between the active and patient return electrode?
relative size
conductivity
what areas should you avoid when placing pad sites?
vascular insufficiency
irregular body contours
bony prominences
what will the return electrode monitoring do if the resistance is too high?
will automatically shut down unit
when using the return electrode monitoring, what should you do if the system is not working well?
check the ground
laser smoke from a gram of tissue is equivalent to three unfiltered cigarettes
electrosurgical smoke is equivalent to _____________________________
six unfiltered cigarettes
is inert particulate matter filtered by the mask?
no
how does tissue fusion technology such as ligasure (valleylab-covidian) fuse vessels?
bipolar energy and pressure
what are the advantages of cryosurgery/cryotherapy?
speed
expense per treatment
ease of treatment
safety (minimal anesthesia)
what sites are treated with cryosurgery/cryotherapy with predictable success?
eyelid
perianal
oral
skin
what is commonly used in cryosurgery/cryosurgery in veterinary medicine?
liquid nitrogen
nitrous oxide
what are the four parameters of tissue destruction with cryosurgery/cryotherapy?
temperature produced in the tissue
cooling rate
warming rate
repeated freezing
when will a scab form with cryosurgery/cryotherapy?
within a few days
what does laser stand for in laser surgery?
light
amplification by
stimulated
emission of
radiation
what are the components of a surgical laser?
power source
laser medium
chamber to stimulate the emission of photons
what are the properties of laser light?
monochromicity
coherence
collimation
high power
what is a critical property of laser light?
monochromicity
what is a fundamental goal of laser-tissue interactions?
absorption by specific targets
what is the definition of chromophores?
light absorbing tissue components
what is ND:YAG absorbed by?
red
what are the safety components of biomedical lasers?
glasses
smoke
fire
reflects off instruments
what are the properties of electricity?
current
circuit
voltage
resistance
what happens when electrons encounter resistance?
heat is produced
where should you place a patient return electrode?
well vascularized muscle mass
what chemicals are in biological tissue smoke?
formaldehyde
acetaldehyde
toluene
are biologically active things filtered by the mask?
yes
what size vessels can be fused with tissue fusion technology?
up to 7mm
what things can generally be removed via cryosurgery?
benign and small things
what does spray freezing deliver?
combination of vapor and liquid nitrogen
how are probes in probe freezing cooled?
circulating liquid cryogen through them
are antibiotics necessary for cryosurgery?
not always
what are the three types of laser effects on tissue?
photothermal
photochemical
photomechanical
what do you use in laser surgery using carbon dioxide to direct it?
mirrors or mirror lined tubes
what are some uses of laser surgery?
exploring chronic draining tracts
brachycephalic syndrome: elongated soft palate, stenotic nares, everted laryngeal saccules
lateral ear resection
spay and neuter
skin incisions for celiotomy procedures
