Bovie Please

Cautery has been used through the ages. Even before technology evolved where women had birth in hospitals monitored on machines. Burning to reduced bleeding was used way back then. Thank goodness we are fortunate to live in a time where technology has emerged and modern science can save lives more readily even with heat.

Anyone who has worked in the operating room has heard the word bovie. Although this word does not have any significant meaning to someone in everyday life, it impacts many who goes under the knife in the operating room. A bovie is used to cauterize vessels to stop bleeding during surgery. There are two types I have worked with, Monopolar and bipolar. Bipolar looks like tweezers that uses the two opened ends to bounce electricity back and forth to cauterize the vessels.

The monopolar has to have a grounding pad to bounce off of to create the electrical current. With out the pad the monopolar will not work. Every operating nurse has took that kneel of shame and climbed under the drape to place that pad on. Both monopolar and bipolar have to be hooked into a machine to generate the current. There are many machines and many different ways of using heat. Not only in the health care field, but in almost in every field .