Electrosurgery Quiz Meant For Every Aspiring Surgeon

Is not important as the electrons will flow through the patient regardless.

Is an unnecessary precaution as newer electrosurgery generators are self regulating and burns are mostly of historic significance.

Should always be on the leg so nursing can monitor if it is working properly and report on its safety.

Should be as close to the surgical site as possible over a large muscle to reduce the amount of resistance and allow lower power settings.

Nothing except a bovie electrode as the alternating current pushes electrons into the patient but pulls them out again as the current cycle reverses.

The pt has to be touching a metal object to allow the electrons to pass out of the patient and go to ground or the earth.

A grounding pad to complete the circuit and allow excess electrons to flow out of the patient.

Two electrodes to allow the electrons to pass between them.

Risk of insulation failure allowing the electricity to flow through an area of the instrument outside of the surgeons view and cause unrecognized damage to other internal organs.

Tissue damage from having to use undersized surgical equipment.

Risk of inadvertent injury to the surgeon as the longer instruments have greater resistance which can cause them to heat up and burn the surgeons hand.

The need for increased power settings (and therefore more potential for uncontrolled burn) are required as the instruments are longer and the electricity has farther to flow.

Set the bovie on “Coag” and move across the oozing surface of the cone bed just above the tissue arcing the electricity

Use a tonsil clamp to grasp as much tissue as possible and setting the bovie on “Coag” and touch the bovie tip to the tonsil clamp

Use the bovie on “Cut” and plunge the bovie tip into the cervical stroma near the bleeding points.

Get a larger bovie tip and hold it against the bleeding surface with a large area of contact then use the “Coag” setting and as much power as necessary to stop bleeding.

Grasp it with a tonsil clamp and touch the bovie tip to the clamp and activate “cut” or “Coag” until the tissue desiccates.

Apply the bovie tip directly to the pumping artery use “Coag” and increase the power until the bleeding stops.

Apply the bovie tip directly to the pumping artery use “Cut” and increase the power until the bleeding stops.

Use a suture as electrocautery cannot control arterial bleeding.

“Electrocuted” because the bovie uses current out of the wall outlet.

“Burned” because the bovie amplifies the Hertz (cycles per second) of the electricity from the wall outlet beyond the range of electrocuting tissue.

“Electrocuted” because electricity at any Hertz (Cycles per second) will cause tissue to depolarize

“Burned” because electricity at any Hertz only burns tissue.

It produces an flow of electrons that become focused at the bovie electrode and arc to the patient producing heat and a thermal burn.

It sends an electrical current that causes the tissue to rapidly contract which brings about surface coagulation.

It produces heat by circulating electrons through the bovie electrode which heats up and acts as hot cautery.

It focuses electricity into the patient which causes massive tissue depolarization and coagulum to be formed.

“Cut” is continuous flow and higher heat generation while “coag” is interrupted flow and less heat production.

“Coag” causes more tissue destruction and more steam while “cut” is more focused and cooler with less vapor production.

“Blend” is the perfect combination of “cut” and “coag” as it focuses the electricity which produces less heat and more pinpoint control.

“Coag” causes more widespread tissue damage deeper in the tissue while “cut” and “blend” provide for focused energy that has more pinpoint accuracy.

“Cut” has continuous flow of electricity which produces higher heat at the tissue and vaporization of cells..

To coagulate a blood vessel you need to grasp it in an instrument and can then apply either “cut” or “coag” settings until tissue dessication and coagulation occurs.

“Coag” uses intermittent (or damped) flow of electricity to heat and then cool tissue to produce lower heat and coagulum of superficial tissue.

“Coag” uses intermittent flow of electrons which produces blast of electricity and higher heat with vaporization of tissue.