Bovie Medical Insights

Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological problems, affecting 6 to 10 percent of women of reproductive age.  Over half of women and teenage girls with pelvic pain have endometriosis and up to half of women who are infertile have this disease.  It can cause severe pain as a result of lesions, scar tissue, and inflammation.

People and organizations all over the world will be joining together on March 19th for the 2016 ENDOMARCH.  This is an annual event to be held in many different cities around the world to increase the awareness of endometriosis.  Begun in 2013, this will be the fourth yearly march in support of increasing awareness of this devastating condition.

Dermatologists can invest in their careers and put some skin in the game by attending the upcoming 74th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) in Washington, D.C. from March 4-8, 2016. Attendees will be able to take advantage of unparalleled educational activities while networking and exchanging ideas with their peers.  The setting will also provide wonderful sightseeing opportunities to pursue in your free time.

J-Plasma® is a new FDA-approved surgical device that harnesses the power of helium gas plasma for precise and controlled cutting, coagulation, fulguration and desiccation of diseased tissue.

This Winner of the 2014 SLS Innovation of the year, J-Plasma® passes an inert gas, helium, over an electrically charged retractable surgical blade, to create a controlled, precise beam of cold plasma. Available in both an open and laparoscopic handpiece option, J-Plasma® features a hand-held 5mm diameter surgical probe with a push button hand activator (a foot pedal option is also available) that is connected to a Bovie Ultimate Generator. The tool is unique in that it doesn’t produce any conductive currents that would require a grounding pad.

The revolutionary J-Plasma tool allows surgeons to operate in delicate areas of the body.  With an enhanced cutting capability, surgeons can do more while lessening damage to surrounding tissue, according to a May 2015 article in Medgadget.com, an independent publication for and by MDs and biomed engineers.  The J-Plasma device is being used for a variety of gynecological procedures, including treatment of endometriosis. Specifically, they state that, “J-Plasma . . . works at far lower temperatures than traditional CO2 lasers, resulting in less damage to surrounding tissue.  Surgeons treating women with endometriosis, for example, can now remove diseased tissue on the fallopian tubes without fear of damaging these delicate structures.” This can improve the likelihood of more effective treatment, potentially reducing the need for repeat procedures and retain the patient's ability to conceive and bare children.

As a student, you learned the 3 states of matter are solid, liquid and gas, but now you know there’s a fourth: plasma.  The characteristics of plasma are different enough from gas to qualify as another state of matter: it has approximately equal numbers of positively and negatively charged ions.  It’s been estimated that 99% of the universe’s matter is plasma.  Plasma temperatures range from hot to cold, with "hot" having temperatures like that of the sun or a lightning bolt and "cold" having temperatures in the range of fluorescent lights and neon signs.

Over the last couple years, the use of cold plasma in surgical devices has boomed.  Until just a few years ago, plasma torches were strictly used in manufacturing to cut metals to precise forms and dimensions.  Recently, however, companies that develop medical equipment have been able to harness plasma for other uses that open up new doors in surgical innovation. 

Innovations in cold plasma surgical technology are blazing the trail for a new age in electrosurgery technique.  The latest devices are putting control back in the surgeon's hand, unveiling benefits that may not be so apparent at first glance.

Cold plasma, sometimes called non-thermal plasma, is one of the newest cutting edge medical concepts, but what is it?  Plasma is not a thing.  A table is a thing – it has substance and you can put your hands on it.  Plasma is a fundamental state of matter, explains FusEDWeb.  Along with liquids, solids and gases, it is one of four states of matter that exist in the universe.

Plasma, the high-energy process that strips atoms of their electrons produces ionized gas, which flows at a temperature that can exceed 100,000 degrees Celsius.  Although it’s commonly referred to as the fourth state of matter after solids, liquids and gases, in actuality, hot plasma represents the first state of matter because it makes up 99 percent of the visible universe in terms of both mass and volume and probably the majority of the invisible universe.