Electro-cautery versus scalpel incision in abdominal surgery

Abstract EN

Electrocautery is used increasingly for tissue dissection ; fears of excessive scaring and poor wound healing curtailed its use for skin incisions.

This study compared electrocautery incision with traditional scalpel incision for abdominal operations in general surgery.

Two groups of 62 patients in each were compared prospectively, in one of them electrocautery knife used and in the other traditional scalpel used to incised the abdominal wall layers starting from the skin.

Parameters measured included, the time needed to complete the incision with all the necessary hemostasis, the wound length, the macroscopic tissue response, the incidence of infection, the final tissue scar.

The electrocautery knife is quicker than the traditional scalpel 4.2Cm / Minute in electrocautery knife versus 2.7Cm / Minute in scalpel; there was little increase in macroscopic tissue response in the first 3-4 days, which do not differ in both groups in the 4th5th day.

There was no difference in the incidence of infection and the final scar after one year between the two groups.

Electrocautery can be used as alternative to scalpel in creating abdominal skin incisions, with the advantages of shortening the time, and decreasing the blood loss without affecting wound healing or incidence of infection and the scar formation.

Incidence.