Use of electrosurgery in the perioperative setting

The concept of using heat to stop bleeding goes back hundreds of years. Researchers have constructed a variety of devices that used electricity as a means to heat tissue and control bleeding. Electrosurgery became widely used in the late 1920s because of the urgent need to safely control bleeding in operative procedures. This article will cover basics of electricity and electrosurgery, clinical applications, technologies, and nursing care during electrosurgery.