What is your electrosurgery buying advice?

RE: What is your electrosurgery buying advice?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 23:48:07 GMT

[quote userid="12930" url="~/f/non-clinical-questions/30788/what-is-your-electrosurgery-buying-advice/243058#243058"]Evelyn Barbour-Hill if you were kind enough to independently confirm that this is not in your category of "Other cheaper machines were too low in frequency and were indeed diathermy", I'd be most grateful! [/quote]

It was a long time ago and I haven't kept all the literature so I can't really help there.

[quote userid="8663" url="~/f/non-clinical-questions/30788/what-is-your-electrosurgery-buying-advice/243060#243060"]I think Evelyn has a preference for radiosurgery instruments ( Elliman brand). But these are not widely used. So essentially electrosurgery and diathermy are terms to use interchangeably [/quote]

Seems to put it quite well!

When I bought the Ellman, after studying various makes, it seemed perfectly obvious to me that Ellman was the one. Or, if you like, that radiosurgery was much superior to diathermy. I still think it is. There is much less local heat. On cutting mode you can, for instance, make a skin incision as clean as that you would make with a scalpel blade, but with the advantages that your cut is practically frictionless and there's no capillary ooze, and you can suture it with simple interrupted sutures and get healing with no scar.

Diathermy, for the other type of instrument, is a good name as it suggests what you are actually doing.

[quote userid="8663" url="~/f/non-clinical-questions/30788/what-is-your-electrosurgery-buying-advice/243060#243060"] But these are not widely used.[/quote]

I did not know that. I wonder why?

Incidentally, I seem to remember from all those years ago, some research which found that radiosurgery smoke, as well as being minimal, was sterile. While smoke from laser surgery could contain living viruses. Don't take this for gospel, it was a long time ago.

For laparoscopic use, I can't tell you anything. That's way out of my field..

RE: What is your electrosurgery buying advice?

Alasdair Hotston Moore — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 23:07:53 GMT

I think Evelyn has a preference for radiosurgery instruments ( Elliman brand). But these are not widely used. So essentially electrosurgery and diathermy are terms to use interchangeably

RE: What is your electrosurgery buying advice?

Beats — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 21:33:01 GMT

[quote userid="8663" url="~/f/non-clinical-questions/30788/what-is-your-electrosurgery-buying-advice/242620#242620"]I’ve just recorded some webinars on this for Freelance.[/quote]

I've just watched them.

Thanks Alasdair - those are excellent and just what I was looking for. The GIMA 160 looks like it would suit me excellent and get me started with electrosurgery. I've watched videos of ligasure and equivalents used in open surgery (we don't have any plans to go down the laparoscopy route presently) on vetdojo youtube page and it looks amazing, but I'm not sure I really need it sufficiently to be able to justify the more expensive machines that might have this vessel-sealing technology (as awesome as it looks).

Evelyn Barbour-Hill if you were kind enough to independently confirm that this is not in your category of "Other cheaper machines were too low in frequency and were indeed diathermy", I'd be most grateful!

Alasdair/Freelance use the terms "electrosurgery" and "diathermy" seemingly interchangeably so far as I understand so far (while avoiding the terms "electrocautery" and "cautery"), while the quote I have put from you suggests that "diathermy" might be something lesser than what I would ideally get. I have a feeling that this might be different views on best terminology in a topic that clearly has confused terminology, but I don't want to assume as I am new to this topic entirely!

RE: What is your electrosurgery buying advice?

Alasdair Hotston Moore — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 10:00:07 GMT

Self promotion alert: I’ve just recorded some webinars on this for Freelance. Hopefully will be in the website in a few weeks time

RE: What is your electrosurgery buying advice?

Alasdair Hotston Moore — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 09:59:06 GMT

For most users, something like the Gima 160 is a good bet. Offers mono polar fit cutting and bipolar for forceps coagulation. You might get one second hand but it’s not too expensive (try Freelance).
however. If you might do lap spays in the future, think about a device that you can use for electrosurgery and vessel sealing. Candidates are the Triad from Valleylab ( reconditioned through Freelance or DVH) or the VetSeal from Freelance

smike evacuation is standard in human surgery but I’ve yet to see it in a vet clinic. I’d think about getting one if I was a daily user of mono polar electrosurgery

RE: What is your electrosurgery buying advice?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 15:42:30 GMT

Did you mean to write electrocautery? I hope not.

You need the right frequency. When I bought my machine (35 or so years ago!) Ellman was the only make that offered this.Maybe it still is. Other cheaper machines were too low in frequency and were indeed diathermy. At the right frequency electrosugery would be better termed radiosurgery but the term never really caught on.

Electrosurgery (radiosurgery) is the bee's knees for just about anything. No tissue drag so you make the cut you were intending, curves no problem. Self-sterilising and no capillary haemorrhage. I never used the "coagulation" settings.

Laser might be even better, but at what expense?

Consumable costs? There aren't any. True, electrodes need replacing from time to time and cost a bit, but they don't need replacing frequently.

Don't fork out for the ridiclously overpriced monopolar/bipolar converter.

If you insist it has to be secondhand, you may not find an Ellman because they are so good people just keep them.

Smoke? All I can say is that I keep my face away but otherwise have never taken precautions. What's your op room ventilation like?