15
6.1
PRE-OPERATIVE CUTTING PRACTICE
Since Radiosurgery
®
requires very little manually applied pressure to effect a cutting
action, the user may gain control by supporting his/her hand in some fashion. Gentle
touch, digital dexterity, a fluid wrist action, and a feather-light touch aid in
Radiosurgery
®
.
The tissue to be cut should be moist. If it is too dry, surface charring may occur.
Excessively dry tissue can be moistened with a wet gauze.
Prior to performing an operative procedure, the area should be studied in order to select
the correct electrode, waveform and power. Several practice strokes, with power off, are
recommended to determine the correct length, depth, and direction of cut.
Prepare the Surgitron
®
Dual/EMC for operations as described in Section 5-
PREPARATION FOR USE, then follow the steps below.
A.
Select a piece of fresh, lean beef containing very little fat. Allow meat to
reach room temperature.
Note: Do not use veal because it does not change color when cut with an
electrode.
B.
Place the meat on a Neutral Plate.
C.
Insert the electrode of choice (Empire, Loop, Diamond, Vari-Tip, etc.) into the
handpiece.
D.
Select CUT.
E.
Set output power intensity to 10.
F.
Depress the CUT Footswitch pedal or Fingerswitch CUT
button.
G.
Using a smooth, brush-like motion, make several incisions of various lengths
and depths. If you notice that the electrode will not cut, cuts only with pulling
and dragging, or if tissue shreds adhere to the electrode while cutting, then
increase the power gradually until a smooth cut occurs.
H.
If the setting is too high then you will notice sparking and discoloration along
the electrode path. Reduce power and repeat the procedure as outlined
above.
I.
Continue to repeat the above procedure until such a point when no
discoloration occurs and there is no visible sparking. The Radiosurgical tip
should not encounter resistance. The cut should be micro-smooth without
sparking and without any drag. Continue to practice using slow, medium,
and fast strokes to acquire dexterity and confidence.
6.2
PRE-OPERATIVE COAGULATION PRACTICE
Surgitron
®
Dual/EMC can be used to seal off small blood vessels. Move to the COAG
mode (Partially Rectified Wave). The ball electrode is normally used since it provides
extended coverage of the tissue surfaces. Prior to performing coagulation, the tissue
should be wiped clean of blood so that the area needing treatment can be viewed. Direct
manually applied pressure will help to locate bleeders. Intermittent gentle contact with the
tissue is performed until bleeding stops.
The same meat specimen used for cutting may be used for coagulating practice. Effective
coagulation is achieved when the treated area appears on the meat as blanched spot of
approximately 2 mm diameter with a minimum penetration into the tissue.
NOTE: Feather-light touching of the ball electrode is recommended to coagulate bleeders
efficiently.
A.
Select a piece of fresh, lean beef containing very little fat. Allow meat to
reach room temperature.
Note: Do not use veal because it does not change color when cut with an
