Open AccessA Study of the PEAK PlasmaBlade TnA in Adult Tonsillectomy Compared to Traditional Electrosurgery
Author(s) -
Vose Joshua G.,
Atmodjo Dominique,
Weeks Brian H.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
otolaryngology–head and neck surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.232
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1097-6817
pISSN - 0194-5998
DOI - 10.1177/0194599811416318a33
Subject(s) - electrosurgery , tonsillectomy , medicine , narcotic , visual analogue scale , anesthesia , population , dissection (medical) , surgery , environmental health
Objective Recently, the use of low temperature pulsed radiofrequency (RF) energy has emerged as a method for efficient tissue dissection with minimal thermal damage. When used for tonsillectomy, anecdotal reports have cited improved recovery compared with traditional electrosurgery (ie, Bovie). We evaluated this technology in adults undergoing subcapsular tonsillectomy. Method Twenty adults were prospectively enrolled in this pilot study. Subjects were randomized to tonsillectomy with the PlasmaBlade (PB) or traditional electrosurgery (ES). Intra‐operative time and blood loss were recorded; postoperatively, subjects blindly reported visual analog scale painscores, narcotic consumption, diet volume, and activity level using a validated form. Results The population age (34.7 ± 18.7 years, P =. 75) and BMI (24.7 ± 3.9 kg/m 2 , P =. 44) were equivalent. Operative time was also equivalent for both technologies (7:36 ± 1:58 min, P =. 99) with PB subjects demonstrating a 69% reduction in IBL (1.6 ± 1.8 vs 5.3 ± 7.9mL, P =. 02) compared with ES. Postoperatively, PB subjects demonstrated a 40% (2.5 ± 1.2 vs 4.1 ± 0.7 Tylenol‐Codeine/d, P =. 002) reduction in narcotic consumption over the 10‐day monitoring period. Modest improvements in activity level (6%; P =. 83), diet volume (20%, P =. 32), and VAS pain score (12%, P =. 41) were also reported. However, these were not statistically significant. Conclusion The use of this new low‐thermal damage electrosurgical technology for adult tonsillectomy appears to offer several advantages over traditional electrosurgery, notably in reducing narcotic consumption in the postoperative period. Larger population‐based studies should be conducted to further examine these endpoints.