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BOVlE SPECIRLIST ELECTROSURGICAL UNIT
3. Safety & Precautions
REVIEW OF ACTION STEPS FOR SAFETY
These steps should be observed for the
safety of the patient and operating person-
nel.
1.
Explosion Hazards
a. Avoid flammable anesthetic.
b. Avoid flammable prep solutions.
c. Remove gas from colon prior to internal
surgery.
2.
Shock Hazard
a. Ground equipment, not the patient.
b. If electrosurgery is essential on a patient
with a pacemaker, keep RF out of area of
pacer. Be prepared to shunt a demand pacer
with magnet and closely monitor patient
activity.
3.
Patient Burn
a. Use adequate area dispersive electrode for
bi-terminal procedures.
b. Avoid patient contact w i t h extraneous
ground points when using mono-terminal
techniques.
c. Avoid hair and scar tissue under dispersive
electrode.
d. Do not place dispersive electrode at bony
protrusion.
e. Make skin contact uniform by using BOVlE
Liquid or BOVlE Gel Conductor.
f.
Keep reusable plates clean.
g. Keep dispersive electrode as close to sur-
gery site as practical but on opposite side of
trunk or limb rather than adjacent so current
flows through body, not on skin.
R . Do not activate Electrosurgical unit unless
active electrode is in contact with tissue to
be cut or coagulated.
i.
Do not pass electrosurgical currents through
patient tissue containing metal implants.
Localized heating may occur.
4.
Surgeon Burn
a. Wear eye protection when using RF on
scope type instruments.
b. Avoid metal eyeglass frames.
c. Avoid metal eye pieces on scopes.
d. Use heavy duty rubber gloves.
e. Do not activate ESU unless active electrode
is in contact with tissue to be operated on.
The BOVlE Specialist method of activating only
one accessory function at a time eliminates the pos-
sibility of inadvertently laying down an active elec-
trode that may become energized when another
accessory is used.
A hemostat, used in conjunction with coagulat-
ing currents, should be insulated at the point of
operator contact.
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