Plasma Energy Drives Innovative Tissue Dissection System

A family of disposable low-temperature surgical cutting and coagulation devices possesses the precise control of a scalpel and the bleeding control of traditional electrosurgery, without causing extensive collateral damage.

The PlasmaBlade family of devices includes the PlasmaBlade 4.0, which is designed to be used to cut through all types of soft tissue, including skin, fat and muscle; the PlasmaBlade Needle, which has a fine needlepoint tip and is specifically designed for ultraprecise surgical procedures; and the PlasmaBlade EXT, which is designed for use in surgical procedures requiring an extended-reach tip. The source of the radiofrequency (RF) energy used with the devices is supplied by the PULSAR Generator, which produces the pulsed plasma RF energy required by the PlasmaBlade to incise tissue and control bleeding. Because the RF energy is provided through short on-and-off pulses via a highly insulated cutting electrode, the PlasmaBlade cuts at half the average temperature of a conventional electrosurgery device, and can be as low as 50 ºC, resulting in significantly less damage to surrounding tissues compared to traditional electrosurgery. The PlasmaBlade is also able to dissect tissue in both a dry or completely submerged surgical field, another shortcoming of traditional electrosurgical devices. Other benefits include effective bleeding control, minimal thermal tissue injury, reduced scarring and inflammation, and improved surgical incision healing and strength. The PlasmaBlade and PULSAR Generator are part of the PEAK Surgery System, developed by PEAK Surgical (Palo Alto, CA, USA), and have been approved by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Community (CE Marking).


"The PlasmaBlades worked beautifully in the partial laryngectomy and parotid dissection we conducted, producing nearly bloodless procedures,” said Raul Pellini, M.D., an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon at Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri (Rome, Italy), who was the first to use the system in Europe. "We are very keen for our ENT colleagues to evaluate these innovative devices as we expect that their patients will experience similar positive outcomes.”
The PEAK pulsed plasma-mediated discharges and electrode insulation techniques were originally invented at the Hansen experimental physics laboratory and the department of ophthalmology at Stanford University (CA, USA).

Related Links:
PEAK Surgical
Stanford University
Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri