Complications of electrosurgery: mechanisms and prevention strategies

Abstract

Background: Electrosurgery is widely used in all surgical specialities. There is evidence that surgeons in different disciplines and with different experience levels have an inadequate understanding of the basics of electrosurgery and its complications. This can increase the risk of electrosurgical complications. Despite its improved safety technology, electrosurgery is still associated with serious morbidity and mortality. In addition, such adverse outcomes will incur financial losses to our health system due to the costs of repeated operations, prolonged hospital stays, and litigation. Objectives: To identify the various mechanisms of electrosurgical complications and to highlight the recommended actions to prevent such complications. Materials and Methods: Narrative review based on a literature search of the Medline database using the following search terms: “electrosurgery”, “complications”, “risks”, and “adverse effects”, with further citation searching for related articles. Main Outcome Measures and Results: The paper does not address specific research questions but addresses common knowledge gaps in the mechanisms of electrosurgical complications among surgeons. Conclusions: Electrosurgical devices can cause severe complications such as unintended tissue burns, surgical fires, smoke hazards, and interference with implantable devices. Although such energy devices are designed with increasingly improving safety features, an adequate understanding of the circumstances, mechanisms, and prevention of these complications by the surgical team is the cornerstone in mitigating such risks.