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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Assessment of Plasma Coagulation on Liver Tissue in a Large Animal Model In Vivo
Published on: August 4, 2018
Thermal comparison of novel bipolar forceps in bovine liver
Ebonia W Elliott-Lewis1, Edward C Benzel
1Codman & Shurtleff, Inc, Raynham, Massachusetts, USA.
Objective:
The goal of this work was to determine whether bipolar forceps using a novel heat pipe thermal regulation technology result in decreased thermal damage of untargeted collateral tissue compared with traditional bipolar forceps.
Methods:
Fresh ex vivo bovine livers underwent controlled coagulation with forceps with (n=36) or without (n=36) heat pipe technology. Liver specimens were assessed regarding the extent of thermal injury (heat pipe, n=20; non-heat pipe, n=20). During coagulation, tissue temperatures were measured via thermocouple array thermometry and imaged via infrared camera thermography (heat pipe, n=16; non-heat pipe, n=16).
Results:
Forceps using heat pipe technology were associated with less thermal spread and demonstrated mean tissue temperatures 25% lower than observed with non-heat pipe forceps. The mean width, area, and depth of thermal injury were significantly reduced with heat pipe vs traditional forceps.
Conclusion:
In an ex vivo study of bovine liver bipolar coagulation, forceps that incorporated heat pipe technology limited thermal spread and reduced the extent of unintended injury to untargeted collateral tissue.
