Electrocautery device recommendations

RE: Electrocautery device recommendations

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 12:35:48 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]It never occurred to me to charge a big fat fee for using it. I use it for (almost) everything so clearly I've missed out.[/quote]It saves time so if you charge your surgery out on a time basis it is justified in charging for use of equipment which is essentially safer for the animal as it under GA for less time. Same basis that you should charge more (or at least not less) for a cat spay that takes you 10 minutes rather than an hour for the new grad.

RE: Electrocautery device recommendations

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 00:18:49 GMT

It never occurred to me to charge a big fat fee for using it. I use it for (almost) everything so clearly I've missed out.

(When I first bought it I added a tiny bit to my surgical fee rate).

RE: Electrocautery device recommendations

Malcolm Ness — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 10:38:26 GMT

The Ellman is good for what it is and will work well enough for most situations.

Look also at the Valley Labs Force 2 - they are available on eBay and elsewhere for several hundred pounds. They are probably the most widely used unit in human and specialist veterinary surgery.

RE: Electrocautery device recommendations

Charlie Lyon — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 10:06:17 GMT

Thanks for the replies, will have a look.

RE: Electrocautery device recommendations

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 17:27:07 GMT

+1 for Ellman Surgitron. My previous one lasted over 30 years before going up in a puff of smoke. I charge £45 per use so it paid for itself many times over. The surgical cutting tips are bit fragile if you go heavy handed and are not cheap to replace but I've rarely had a need for a bipolar electrode although the plugs are there on the machine if you want it.

I don't use it as much as I should but it is great for fine surgery where you don't want any drag or distortion of the tissue like eyelid surgery.

RE: Electrocautery device recommendations

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 16:21:56 GMT

Ellman units stand head and shoulders above the others. The "FFP 90" (I think the 90 stands for 90 watts) is of sufficient power to do just about anything you are likely to want to do. You can use either monopolar or bipolar technique, as you prefer.

The crucial feature is the frequency employed: 3 to 4 MHz has been shown to be ideal (best cutting with least peripheral heat generation), while cheaper units employ 2MHz at the most and commonly much less than that.

The Ellman insulated-tip electrode is really good and lasts ages if you are careful with it.

(Don't fork out for the ridiculously over-priced "bipolar adaptor box". You don't actually need an adaptor to shift between monopolar and bipolar if you don't mind a bit of unplugging and plugging, but if you do feel you want one and you own a soldering iron you can knock up the necessary for about a fiver.)