Surgical Plasma Blade Uses RF Energy To Dissect Tissues

Unlike most RF-based surgical products that use continuous voltage waveforms to cut tissue, the Pulsar Generator supplies pulsed plasma-mediated electrical discharges; since the RF energy is provided through short on-and-off pulses via a highly insulated cutting electrode, the PlasmaBlade cuts at an average temperature that is half that of a conventional electrosurgery device, and can be as low as 50 ^oC. This temperature reduction results in significantly less damage to surrounding tissues compared to traditional electrosurgical devices. The PlasmaBlade is also able to dissect tissue in a wet or dry surgical field. The Peak surgery system is a product of Peak Surgical (Palo Alto, CA, USA), and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use during plastic and reconstructive, gynecologic, orthopedic, arthroscopic, spinal, neurologic, and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgical procedures.

"We have been impressed with the reduced tissue charring and the ability to work close to delicate and sensitive tissues with the PlasmaBlade, which is especially important in gynecologic procedures in which the bowel, ureter, and ovaries are close by,” said Fermin F. Barrueto, M.D., chief of endoscopy and pelvic reconstruction at Mercy Medical Center (Baltimore, MD, USA), and primary investigator of an ongoing clinical study evaluating the PlasmaBlade in hysterectomies. "We expect that the clinical study we are conducting will show less collateral thermal injury to uterine tissue and less post operative pain, due to the lower temperature associated with the PlasmaBlade compared with traditional electrosurgery.”

"Because the PlasmaBlade cuts at a lower temperature than traditional electrosurgical devices, it reduces collateral tissue damage and scarring, which is important for patients undergoing plastic surgery procedures,” said Howard L. Rosenberg, M.D., former chief of surgery at El Camino Hospital (Mountain View, CA, USA), and co-primary investigator of an ongoing clinical study evaluating the PlasmaBlade in abdominoplasty. "We expect that the clinical study underway at our hospital will demonstrate improved healing, reduced pain, and less post-operative drain output with the PlasmaBlade compared with electrosurgery.”

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