Scalpel versus electrocautery in modified radical mastectomy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Mastectomy is a common surgical procedure for breast cancer treatment.
• Minimizing operative blood loss and complications is crucial for patient recovery.
• Traditional cold scalpel techniques carry risks of increased hemorrhage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy and safety of electrocautery versus cold scalpel for skin flap creation in mastectomy.
• To evaluate operative blood loss, transfusion requirements, and wound complications.
• To determine if electrocautery offers an advantage over the cold scalpel in mastectomy.

Main Methods:

• Randomized controlled trial involving 49 consecutive mastectomy patients.
• Patients were assigned to either cold scalpel (n=24) or electrocautery (n=25) for skin flap creation.
• Demographic and clinical characteristics were similar between groups.

Main Results:

• Electrocautery group showed significantly less operative blood loss (352 mL) than the scalpel group (507 mL) (P < 0.05).
• No patients in the electrocautery group required blood transfusion, versus three in the scalpel group (P < 0.005).
• No significant differences in postoperative drainage, hospital stay, fever days, or wound complications were observed.

Conclusions:

• Electrocautery may be superior to the cold scalpel for mastectomy due to reduced blood loss and transfusion rates.
• Further research with larger cohorts may clarify the observed trends in wound complications.
• Electrocautery presents a promising alternative for optimizing surgical outcomes in mastectomy.