title: Opportunistic use of a Foley catheter to provide a common electrocautery with a water-irrigating channel for hepatic parenchymal transection.
abstract: High-tech surgical energy devices that are used during a single surgery have increased in number and the expense for such disposable units is by no means negligible. We developed a handmade water-irrigating monopolar electrocautery using a Foley catheter to perform liver parenchymal transection. A commonly used 20-24 Fr Foley catheter was cut at a length of about 8 cm. The shaft of the 5 mm ball electrode measuring 13.5 cm in length was then inlaid into the urine drainage channel. The target tissues were cauterized without making an eschar, thereby preventing the adhesion of the electrode to the tissues. A ball electrode with our handmade water irrigation sheath can be made in only a few minutes at a very low cost, using common medical supplies and yielding satisfactory effects comparable to the use of specialized high-tech devices.
authors: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, 010-8543, Japan. yamamoto-kyt@umin.ac.jp.
authors: Yuzo
authors: Y
authors: Yamamoto
authors: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, 010-8543, Japan.
authors: Masato
authors: M
authors: Yoshioka
authors: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, 010-8543, Japan.
authors: Go
authors: G
authors: Watanabe
authors: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, 010-8543, Japan.
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Uchinami
mesh_terms: D004564:Electrocoagulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004566:Electrodes; D004867:Equipment Design; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: Electrocautery; Hepatic parenchymal transection; Water irrigation channel