Electrosurgery was developed in 1926 by Dr. William Bovie in direct response to an unsuccessful attempt by his colleague, Dr. Harvey Cushing, to remove a mass from a patient's head. The resultant bleeding was so heavy Dr. Cushing could not complete the procedure, and a few days later Dr. William Bovie proposed the use of an electrosurgical unit to control the heavy bleeding by cauterization of surrounding blood vessels. The result was a successful removal of the mass for the patient, and for the world at large, the birth of electrosurgery.
Bovie is synonymous with electrosurgery; and bovie, despite being a registered trademark of Bovie Medical Corporation is the universally recognized term for any surgical procedure performed with the use of a "bovie"; the electrosurgical devise that cuts, cauterizes, and seals tissues and blood vessels. The benefits of cauterization during surgery are significant; and Bovie electrosurgery has evolved to enable surgeons to employ instruments that act much like a scalpel, producing both precise cuts and tissue sealing to rapidly clear the surgical field.
Specific benefits for today's surgeons:
The ability to perform more procedures on an outpatient basis: Many surgeries that were once performed in traditional operating rooms can be done in Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) and doctor's office using local or general anesthetic. Outpatient procedures mean reduced risk and less downtime for the patient, lower cost, and increased revenue potential for your practice, due to outpatient surgeries typically being shorter in nature.
Precise control over bleeding during complicated surgeries that are highly vascular in nature: Surgeries to the head and thoracic region typically bleed heavily and require the surgeon to exert extreme care. Heavy bleeding makes it difficult, if not impossible, to locate and extract tumors and masses in the brain and the chest cavity. Bovie electrosurgery units cause almost instant cauterization when using a blended cut mode, improving the surgeon's field of vision, and requiring less if any transfusions to the patient.
Cauterization reduces bleeding which shortens operations, whether the surgery is performed in a traditional operating room or at an ASC or doctor's office.
To learn more about the benefits of electrosurgery, read our free eBook, Understanding Electrosurgery.
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Photo courtesy of ImadCode
