Legacy AdvanTec and Sovereign WhiteStar: a wound temperature study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Surgical Technology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Cataract surgery relies on phacoemulsification systems to break up the lens.
• Maintaining safe intraocular temperatures is critical to prevent thermal injury during cataract surgery.
• Different phacoemulsification systems may exhibit varying thermal profiles, impacting surgical safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the wound temperature generated by the Sovereign WhiteStar (S-WS) and Legacy AdvanTec (L-ADV) phacoemulsification systems.
• To evaluate the thermal impact of these systems under simulated surgical conditions.

Main Methods:

• Phacoemulsification was performed using 20-gauge tips on cadaver eyes with both L-ADV and S-WS systems.
• Temperature was measured at 5-second intervals for 60 seconds using a microthermistor.
• Occlusion was simulated by clamping the aspiration line, and runs were performed sleeved and unsleeved.

Main Results:

• The L-ADV system produced significantly higher mean wound temperatures compared to the S-WS system.
• One instance of wound burn was observed with the L-ADV system (sleeved), while no burns occurred with the S-WS system.
• The L-ADV handpiece sometimes decreased power with increasing temperature; the S-WS maintained constant power.

Conclusions:

• The S-WS system demonstrated a lower increase in wound temperature over time compared to the L-ADV system.
• Simulated surgery in human eye-bank eyes indicated superior thermal performance of the S-WS.
• Direct comparison of pulsing features is challenging due to differing handpiece responses under various load conditions.