Systematic error compensation for improving accuracy of the electrosurgical unit

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Device Technology
• Surgical Instrumentation

Background:

• Electrosurgical units (ESUs) are critical in surgery but prone to systematic errors affecting performance.
• Inaccurate power delivery from ESUs can compromise surgical outcomes and patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a systematic error correction method for enhancing electrosurgical unit (ESU) accuracy.
• To improve the safety of surgical procedures for both patients and surgeons through precise ESU calibration.

Main Methods:

• Systematic errors in eight ESUs were quantified using regression analysis during calibration.
• A power analyzer measured ESU output against a reference power value.
• Fitted regression models were developed to predict and correct ESU systematic errors.

Main Results:

• The correction method achieved an approximate 84% reduction in cutting power (CuP) errors and 74% in coagulation power (CoP) errors.
• Post-correction, systematic errors were below 1.9 W for cutting and 0.4 W for coagulation power.
• All evaluated ESUs met or exceeded the IEC 60601-2-2 standard error tolerances after correction.

Conclusions:

• The proposed systematic error correction approach effectively enhances ESU accuracy and reliability.
• This method contributes to safer surgical interventions by minimizing power delivery inaccuracies.
• The validated technique ensures ESU performance aligns with stringent international safety standards.