Electrosurgery is a simple, well proven, method of making surgical incisions, controlling bleeding and destroying unwanted tissue cells by the use of a high frequency "electrosurgical current". Physical pressure is not required when using electrosurgery, enabling procedures to be quick, precise and very controllable.

The electrosurgical unit is essentially a radio transmitter, which generates two special outputs, one of which is used to cut tissue and the other which is used to coagulate blood vessels. A combination of the two is used to give coagulation with cutting, or 'blending' as it is more commonly known.

The transmitted signal from the electrosurgical unit is passed through the "active electrode" and "received" by the "patient plate electrode". As a body tissue is composed mainly of fluid, which is a good conductor of electricity, the patient when placed between the two electrodes will conduct the current from the "active" to the "patient plate electrode". Body cells not being perfect conductors of electricity, offer resistance to the flow of current. The effect of this resistance is heat, which causes the contents of the cell to be heated. It is this heating effect which is used under controlled conditions, to give the electrosurgical "Cutting" or Coagulation".

MONOPOLAR - is the technique used for most surgical applications, and requires an "active" electrode and "patient plate electrode".

BIPOLAR - is the technique used for precise coagulation techniques and does not require a "patient plate electrode" The bipolar instrument is made in two halves, one being the "active electrode" and the other being the equivalent of the "patient plate electrode"

The two "bipolar" electrodes are of the same size, with the electrosurgical current passing only through the tissue grasped between the electrodes. As only a little tissue is transversed by the current, only a low power current is required for bipolar coagulation