Burn excision with contact neodymium: YAG laser

The newest laser modality, the contact Neodymium: YAG laser, was compared with the standard steel scalpel in excisions of full-thickness burns. Six patients with deep burns of variable sizes were included in this pilot study. The area to be operated on in each patient was divided into two areas resembling each other as much as possible in size, tissue type, and depth of injury. The results suggest that bleeding was diminished by 44% in contact laser surgery compared with the steel scalpel. Still the difference was not significant. There was no impairment of graft take after laser surgery compared with the steel scalpel. However, the laser method caused a significant increase (p less than 0.02) in operating time. The contact Nd: YAG laser can be recommended for excision of relatively small deep burn injuries, especially in areas in which bleeding is a problem with other methods.