Electrosurgery makes use of high-frequency electrical current to cut, coagulate, desiccate, and fulgurate tissue and can be performed using either monopolar or bipolar-energy in conjunction with a specialized instrument. Each of these two modalities has specific advantages and understanding the difference between the two can help you understand the differences in how they’re used.
Read MoreTopics: Benefits of Electrosurgery in Surgery, Bovie Medical, Electrosurgery Misconceptions, Bovie, Bovie Medical Corporation, Electrosurgical Generators
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.
Topics: Benefits of Electrosurgery in Surgery, Bovie Medical, electrosurgery
