| Glossary of Medical
Terms
Active electrode monitoring: A surgical instrument system combining a shielded instrument
design that is continuously monitored during surgery to
ensure the integrity of the instrument is not compromised,
thereby preventing the risk of stray burn injury to the
patient.
Capacitive
coupling: The
condition that occurs when electrical current is transferred
from one conductor (e.g. an electrosurgical instrument
or active electrode), through intact insulation, into adjacent
conductive materials (e.g. tissue.)
Endoscopic surgical
instruments: Instruments used to provide
tissue effect during minimally invasive surgery.
Insulation failure: The
condition that occurs when the insulation barrier around
an electrical conductor breaks down. As a result, current
can "leak" outside
the instrument, burning nearby tissue.
Fail-safe: Capable
of compensating automatically and safely for a failure of
a instrument or power source.
Laparoscopic surgery: A
class of surgical procedures performed through very small
incisions in the abdomen, using specialized instruments.
A pencil-thin viewing mechanism called a laparoscope is used
to provide access and visibility inside of the abdominal
cavity.
Monopolar electrosurgery: A
surgical energy system which provides the surgeon with the
ability to cut, coagulate and ablate tissue in one instrument
via current flowing from the instrument to a return electrode.
A standard tool for the surgeon since 1930.
Peritonitis: Inflammation
of the serosal membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and
the organs contained therein.
Sepsis: Clinical
syndrome that complicates severe infection and is characterized
by systemic inflammation and widespread tissue injury causing
organ dysfunction.
Stray energy burn: A burn
resulting from insulation failure or capacitive coupling
during electrosurgery.
|
