Electrosurgery can be used to obtain three surgical effects :

• Cutting - Sparking to tissue with a cutting effect.
• Blended Cut - Cutting current with increased haemostasis where the walls of an incision will be well desiccated and dry.
• Fulguration - Sparking to tissue without a cutting effect : essential for the coagulation of large blood vessels and underfluid coagulation.
• Desiccation - Electrode in contact with tissue and applied for a period of time to effect deep coagulation. No sparking.