 |
|
PEAK PlasmaBlade versus monopolar electrocautery tonsillectomy in adults: A prospective double-blinded randomized controlled trial
S Ganhasan*, KL Tan*, HW Yuen*, KS Lu*, CY Loh*, YH Chan**, PP Hsu*
* Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Changi General Hospital, Singapore **Biostatistics Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore Introduction:
Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgeries performed by otolaryngologists. Many new surgical techniques have been developed over the years aiming to improve the procedure and reduce postoperative morbidities. The PEAK PlasmaBlade is a new electrosurgical device that uses PEAK Surgical’s proprietary Pulsed Plasma Technology for soft tissue cutting and coagulation with minimal thermal injury. It uses pulsed radiofrequency to induce electrical plasma along the edge of a thin insulated electrode. This study compares PEAK PlasmaBlade and conventional monopolar electrocautery tonsillectomy techniques in terms of their advantages and complications.
Aims:
To evaluate the efficacy and compare postoperative pain and recovery following PEAK PlasmaBlade and monopolar electrocautery tonsillectomy in adults.
Methods:
A prospective double-blinded randomized controlled trial with 58 patients recruited. Patients were randomized into 2 groups: PEAK PlasmaBlade (n=29) or monopolar electrocautery (n=29) tonsillectomy. Postoperative pain, complications, patient satisfaction and days taken to return to normal diet, normal activities and achieve pain-free swallowing were compared and analysed, with the aid of a pain diary given to patients. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 13.0 with statistical significance set at P<0.05.
Results:
Patients in the PEAK PlasmaBlade group were able to achieve pain-free swallowing in a shorter time compared to the electrocautery group (13.28 versus 15.76 days, P=0.035). Patients were also more satisfied with PEAK PlasmaBlade tonsillectomy (P=0.046). No significant differences in the incidence of postoperative haemorrhage, daily visual analog score for pain and time taken to return to normal diet and activities were seen for both groups.
Conclusion:
This study showed that PEAK PlasmaBlade tonsillectomy has a faster recovery period in terms of time taken to achieve pain-free swallowing and may offer advantages when compared to monopolar electrocautery tonsillectomy.
References:
1. Lowe D, van der Meulen J, Cromwell D, Lewsey J, Copley L, Browne J, et al. Key messages from the National Prospective Tonsillectomy Audit. Laryngoscope 2007;117(4):717–24.
2. Loh SA, Carlson GA, Chang EI, Huang E, Palanker D, Gurtner GC. Comparative healing of surgical incisions created by the PEAK PlasmaBlade, conventional electrosurgery, and a scalpel. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2009;124(6):1849-1859.
|