Electrosurgery has been around since 1926, when William T. Bovie, a Harvard PhD first introduced the technique to a colleague who had previously been unsuccessful in removing a tumor from a patient's head due to excessive bleeding. Dr. Bovie assisted Dr. Harvey W. Cushing with the use of electrosurgery to remove the mass with very little bleeding, and the operation was a resounding success.
86 years have passed since that initial use of electrosurgery, and it has has become a mainstay in operating rooms, with over 80% of all surgeries involving the practice. Dr. Bovie's name has become synonymous with his invention: surgeons refer to their equipment as their "Bovie", and bovie cautery (both of these are misused by the way) is the catchphrase for electrosurgery. However, if a surgeon or nurse refers to an ESU (electrosurgicl unit) as their Bovie, it needs to say Bovie® on the face of the unit. Bovie is a registered trademark of Bovie Medical Corporation. While we are flattered that Bovie is synonoymus with electrosurgery, to prevent the misuse of a registered trademark of the United States Patent and Trademark office, it really needs to say Bovie® on the product.
