Guidelines in Practice: Electrosurgical Safety

Surgeons routinely use electrosurgical devices to cut and coagulate tissue during surgical procedures. However, hazards associated with electrosurgery (eg, burns, electrical shock, fire) can place patients or personnel at risk. Perioperative nurses should standardize processes, preoperatively assess the risks for electrosurgical injuries, and participate in education activities on electrosurgical safety to help prevent injuries from occurring. The AORN "Guideline for electrosurgical safety" provides guidance to perioperative personnel for safe use of electrosurgical units, electrocautery devices, and argon-enhanced coagulators. This article discusses prevention of electrosurgical unit injuries, including those that can be caused by electrosurgical accessories. A scenario describes how a team investigating two incidents related to use of electrosurgery uses an assessment tool to identify risks for injury and includes a report of these risks in the surgical briefing. Perioperative RNs should review the entire guideline for additional information when creating and updating policies and procedures for electrosurgical safety.