Final Present Electrocautery

Swiss Army Electrocautery

Team Electrosurgery:

Sonya MakhniAmrita KarambelkarSudha Guttikonda

Vicki Lee

D-lab HealthSpring 2010

Presentation Outline

Motivation and BackgroundNicaraguan Rehabilitation Center surgeryElectrosurgery vs. electrocautery

Our DesignDesign StrategySpecificationsDemonstrationValidation

Future Work

Motivation

• Nicaraguan rehabilitation hospital used electrosurgery to cut tissue and coagulate blood during surgery

• Open circuit caused severe burns in patients as electricity found new path to ground through patient's body

• Cause of circuit failure: overuse; mishandling; normal wear and tear; voltage fluctuations

Electrosurgery vs. Electrocautery

Properties Electric current passed through patient's body

Electric current passes through metal parts,

producing heatUses Cutting tissue and sealing

blood vesselsSealing blood vessels

Issues Relies on AC power; risk of open circuit

Cutting not possible because of damage to

surrounding tissue

ElectrosurgeryDisposable Plug-in

Electrocautery

Battery-powered Electrocautery Pens with

Disposable Tips

Scalpel and Gauze

Cost

Swiss Army Electrocautery

Autoclaveable Tips

Autoclavable materials

Loss of ability to both cut

and coagulate,

but portable

All-in-one feature

Safety

Our Design

Goal: Create multi-function autoclavable electrocautery tips and encourage the use of electrocautery over electrosurgery  Multi-function tip includes: 

1. Antenna extension: Brass pipes of different diameter slide into one another to collapse and extend the tip from 2-5 inches; doctors can use the same tip for any depth into the body

2. Scalpel-Cautery: Dual-function; cutting and coagulating with swiveling scalpel and cauterizing tip

Design Specifications

All materials can be autoclaved (120 C, 15 psi, 20 min)Can be extended from 2 inches to 5 inchesTemperature should reach at least 1200 F to cauterize    Preferably in less than 5 seconds    Power must be supplied by a battery

Cost Analysis

Market PricesHigh Temp Tip: $9.40Low Temp Tip: $7.80Elongated Tip: $15

Our Design:Commercial Tip Base $7.80Brass tubing $0.84(Solder + Insulation) $0.70Scalpel $0.20

Total = $9.54

Design Parameters

Portable

Cost-effective

Safe

Multi-functional

Impact on Global Health

More patients can be helped

Reduces risk to patients

Faulty electrosurgery machinery causes delays in surgery

Reduces overall cost

Transition to electrocautery:Facilitated by ease-of-use andsafety of new tip

Preliminary Tests

Control (Bovie) tip glowed red with 2.8 A at 1.5 V after 2 sec

Our tip glowed red with 2.8 A at 1.5 V after 2 sec

Control Our Design

Preliminary Tests

• Conducted heating tests on scalpel

• Became warm after 30 sec at 3.6 A and 0.5 V

• Possible cause: heat capacity of stainless steel too high; large surface area dissipates too much heat

•Possible solutions

-Reduce surface area of blade

-Use alternative autoclavable materials such as copper coated with chrome/gold , silicon

Test the tip in an autoclave

Measure the exact temperature of the tip

Test the lifespan of a tip:Corrosion of tip and possible coatingBattery life

More user-friendly to switch cut/coagulate modes

Test different materials:Cheaper, requiring less energy, non-stick, etc.

Other tip designs:Heated scalpel tipBendable tipEvacuate fumes

Future Tests

– 510K

– Predicate Devices:• Standard Bovie Tips

– Manufacturing:• Local Assembly

Regulatory Pathway

Jose, Anna, Nathan, Ryan, Amit, TedDennisBernardAilisVarshaGary GogolinProfessor Kimerling

Acknowledgements