Cautery is a process to coagulate tissues and seal blood vessels using heat. In this study, finite element modeling (FEM) was performed to analyze temperature distribution in biological tissue subject to a bipolar electrosurgical technique. FEM can provide detailed insight into the tissue heat transfer to reduce the collateral thermal damage and improve the safety of cautery surgical procedures. A coupled thermal-electric FEM module was applied with temperature-dependent electrical and thermal properties for the tissue. Tissue temperature was measured using microthermistors at different locations during the electrosurgical experiments and compared to FEM results with good agreement. The temperature- and compression-dependent electrical conductivity has a significant effect on temperature profiles. In comparison, the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity does not impact heat transfer as much as the temperature-dependent electrical conductivity. Detailed results of temperature distribution were obtained from the model. The FEM results show that the temperature distribution can be changed with different electrode geometries. A flat electrode was modeled that focuses the current density at the midline of the instrument profile resulting in higher peak temperature than that of the grooved electrode (105 versus ).
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April 2008
Research Papers
Thermal-Electric Finite Element Analysis and Experimental Validation of Bipolar Electrosurgical Cautery
Robert E. Dodde,
Robert E. Dodde
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Michigan
, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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Scott F. Miller,
Scott F. Miller
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Michigan
, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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James D. Geiger,
James D. Geiger
Department of Surgery, Medical School,
University of Michigan
, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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Albert J. Shih
Albert J. Shih
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Michigan
, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Search for other works by this author on:
Robert E. Dodde
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Michigan
, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Scott F. Miller
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Michigan
, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
James D. Geiger
Department of Surgery, Medical School,
University of Michigan
, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Albert J. Shih
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Michigan
, Ann Arbor, MI 48109J. Manuf. Sci. Eng. Apr 2008, 130(2): 021015 (8 pages)
Published Online: April 9, 2008
Article history
Received:
August 24, 2007
Revised:
January 13, 2008
Published:
April 9, 2008
Citation
Dodde, R. E., Miller, S. F., Geiger, J. D., and Shih, A. J. (April 9, 2008). "Thermal-Electric Finite Element Analysis and Experimental Validation of Bipolar Electrosurgical Cautery." ASME. J. Manuf. Sci. Eng. April 2008; 130(2): 021015. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2902858
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