Developed by Bovie Medical Corporation, the J-Plasma® surgical device represents the next generation of laparoscopic surgical devices; using cold plasma for cutting and coagulation instead of heat and electrical current (electrosurgery) or a laser. The ionized gas beam can be used in tandem with a retractable scalpel and provides surgeons a greater degree of precision for minimally invasive procedures.
J-Plasma® received the Innovation of the Year award in September 2014 from the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) and provides a wide scope of benefits to patients. A few are discussed below as well as some potential applications for future research in plasma technology:
Small surgical sites, minimal bleeding:
J-Plasma® uses a helium ionization process that produces a beam of ionized gas. This beam provides a number of advantages, including:
- increased precision with smaller surgical sites,
- less invasiveness,
- reduced bleeding,
- no conductive currents passing through the patient during surgery,
- decreased thermal spread.
Smaller surgical sites may mean quicker recoveries with less risk of post-surgical complications. Greater precision and less thermal spread results in less collateral tissue damage. Laparoscopic patients benefit greatly when surgeons have the technology that allows them to operate more efficiently in a smaller field, offering the patient reduced recuperative times.
Bactericidal Effect:
The MRSA (methicillin-resistant-Staphylococcus aureus) bacterium is one of the most common risks to surgical patients. When someone dies or becomes seriously ill from an infection unrelated to the reason a patient was admitted to the hospital, chances are they developed a MRSA infection in the hospital. According to the most recent data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2005 there were an estimated 94,360 invasive MRSA infections in the US resulting in 18,650 deaths. MRSA infections are costly to individual patients and society in general: the CDC estimated that MRSA infections cost the healthcare system as much as 9.7 billion dollars in 2005. MRSA infections extend hospital stays, require additional treatment and drugs, and increase mortality. In the scientific literature, the bactericidal effect of atmospheric discharge cold plasma in a laboratory environment is well established. The combination of electron and ion bombardment, thermal effects, free radical production and local exposure to UV all act in concert to disrupt bacterial cell membranes, denature proteins and damage bacterial DNA. The cells walls of bacteria can also be disrupted by electrostatic effects induced by charged particle bombardment. This may represent a potential growth area for plasma technology.
Hope for patients undergoing cancer surgery:
In a May 2013 article published in SciTech Connect entitled "Cold atmospheric plasma in cancer therapy", studies show that "Both in-vitro and in-vivo studies of Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) action on cancer were performed. It was shown that the cold plasma application selectively eradicates cancer cells in-vitro without damaging normal cells and significantly reduces tumor size in-vivo." Although the utility of J-Plasma has not been demonstrated in this application, it is an important area for future research in plasma technology.
These are just a few of the benefits of using this innovative cold plasma technology represented by Bovie Medical's J-Plasma® device.
Courtesy Photo Via: freedigitalphotos.net/Stuart Miles
