DJO Incorporated, a global provider of medical devices that deliver solutions for musculoskeletal health, vascular health, and pain management, announced that its Chattanooga business has received 510-K clearance from the U.S. FDA to market and sell the Intelect SWD Shortwave Diathermy device in the United States. Plans are underway to bring the unit to market in Spring 2009.

“Bringing continuous innovation to the clinical rehabilitation market is the cornerstone of our brand,” says Ed Dunlay, vice president product development & clinical education for Chattanooga. “The Intelect SWD 100 has been designed with voice of the customer research, which we used to enhance an already proven therapeutic modality.”

Chattanooga’s new Intelect SWD innovations include a touch screen interface and onboard software that allows therapists to customize their patient’s therapy. Chattanooga’s Shortwave Diathermy unit is the only domestic shortwave product to operate via a touch screen interface. The unit is very simple to use. Therapists can begin treatment in as few as two touches to the home screen.

Shortwave Diathermy is a clinical treatment modality that provides a superior form of deep tissue heating. Indications for use include: pain relief, reduction of muscle spasm, decreasing joint stiffness, contractures, increased blood flow, chronic inflammatory conditions, bursitis, tenosynovitis, synovitis and chronic inflammatory pelvic disease.

About Chattanooga

As part of DJO Incorporated, Chattanooga is the world’s largest manufacturer of clinical rehabilitation equipment and supplies for treating skeletal, muscular, neurological and soft tissue disorders. Our popular brands include the Hydrocollator hot and cold therapy products; Adapta treatment platforms; a comprehensive family of Intelect and Vectra Genisys electrotherapy which include ultrasound, laser and light therapy; Triton DTS traction systems; and OptiFlex continuous passive motion devices.

Our over 300 products are found in hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices throughout the world and provide healthcare professionals with the solutions they need for better patient outcomes. Chattanooga products are sold through a network of dealers/distributors. Chattanooga maintains offices in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with facilities in Belgium, Canada and Australia. As part of DJO, Chattanooga is headquartered in Vista, California.

About DJO Incorporated

DJO is a leading global developer, manufacturer and distributor of high-quality medical devices that provide solutions for musculoskeletal health, vascular health and pain management. The Company’s products address the continuum of patient care from injury prevention to rehabilitation after surgery, injury or from degenerative disease. Our products are used by orthopedic specialists, spine surgeons, primary care physicians, pain management specialists, physical therapists, podiatrists, chiropractors, athletic trainers and other healthcare professionals. In addition, many of the Company’s medical devices and related accessories are used by athletes and patients for injury prevention and at-home physical therapy treatment. The Company’s product lines include rigid and soft orthopedic bracing, hot and cold therapy, bone growth stimulators, vascular systems, electrical stimulators used for pain management and physical therapy products. The Company’s surgical division offers a comprehensive suite of reconstructive joint products for the hip, knee and shoulder. DJO’s products are marketed under the brands Aircast, DonJoy, ProCare, CMF™, Empi, Saunders, Chattanooga, DJO Surgical, Cefar-Compex and Ormed. DJO uses its website as a channel of distribution of material Company information. Financial and other material information regarding the Company is routinely posted and accessible at http://www.DJOglobal.com.

Source
DJO Incorporated

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I had a deeply disturbing sensation this week. It was my first operation after the summer vacation, a splenectomy for lymphoma. Very nice to be back in the OR. Maybe a little too nice.

As I’ve written before, the smell from electrocautery (diathermy) can be very intense and sometimes downright nauseating. I’ve had to take a step back from the operating table many times to get a breath of fresh(er) air.

Well, not this time. I later checked my calendar, and found I hadn’t filmed open surgery since the end of May. June was packed with gastroscopies and biopsies. July and most of August I was away on holiday.

So the other day, when the surgeon started to cut his way below the left ribs, to get to the spleen, and the cautery smoke started to saturate the air, I took a deep breath and thought: “What a nice, familiar smell.” Disturbing indeed.

(photo credit).

Patients  with permanent pacemaker  can have disastrous consequences  if inappropriate sensing of external  electrical events during surgery. Electro cautery or diathermy should be used judiciously .

1. Aviod diathermy if possible.

2. If neccessary use only bi- polar diathermy .

3. If bipolar diathermy not available use the indifferent electrode pad away from pacing  zone , behind  the thigh.

Other options.

A .Use a magnet to remove the sensing function of PPM. Application of magnet converts VVI into VOO mode so that external current will not be sensed by the pacemaker and diathermy can be safely used.

B.The other option is use the magnet only if interference problem occur .Magnet should be availableas safety measure.

Normal tissue hardly smell at all. Your skin smell because of bacteria in your sweat. Your mouth stinks because of bacteria, and another source of foul odour is caused by gas producing bacteria. Opening the abdominal cavity does not emit any smells, unless there’s some infected parts, necrotic tissue, pierced bowels or gas present.

Cutting the body is not in itself a source of foul scents, but the way it’s cut can cause smell.

Diathermy
Since Cushing pushed the first electrosurgery knife (called a bovie) into somebody’s flesh in 1926, surgeons have been using electricity to cut through tissue and cauterize blood vessels.

When you apply electric energy to tissue, heat is created inside the cells making the cellular fluid boil and vaporize. This increases the pressure inside the cell, causing it to rupture. The remains are burned by the heat. The result is that surgeons can cut through tissue and seal small blood vessels, without going through the tedious process of clamping off, cutting and tying off the vessel.

The use of electrosurgery, or diathermy as it is also called, has become so commonplace some now humorously refer to scalpels as the “smokeless bovie”. Because diathermy creates smoke. This smoke contains water vapor and different chemicals from the cells. And this smoke is what took me a lot of time getting used to. It’s hard to describe how the smell of burned human flesh is like. In many ways it resembles the cooking of animal meat, but it’s also very unlike anything else. You sort of unconsciously know that this smell is wrong.

Cutting through blood vessels of the greater omentum.

The smoke can actually be a health hazard for surgical team members who inhale it everyday. This is kept to a minimum by keeping the ORs very well ventilated and sucking up the smoke in different ways. The diathermy knife on the above picture has built-in suction. But some smoke always finds it way to your nose. In the beginning even a whiff of it would make me nauseous. Not enough to make me loose focus, but keeping me slightly uncomfortable for the rest of the operation. I often stand pretty close to the surgical field with my camera so I get a steady supply of smoke. A couple of times I’ve had to take a few steps back and gather myself after getting it right on.

Sawing bone
Another source of OR smell is the bone saw and drill. Although water is used to cool it down, enough heat is produced when the saw oscillates through bone to produce smoke. And with smoke comes smell. Bone saws are used for everything from amputations to craniotomies. This smell is stranger and more unpleasant than diathermy. Few of us cut bone on our spare time, so it’s hard to compare it to anything. It’s acrid and warm, not as “sweet” as that from diathermy.

Scentless apprentice
Wonderful as the human body is, I soon got used to the smells. Of course I still notice when there’s smoke in the air, but the smell has taken on a familiar feel. It’s become part of the experience. Just like the chemical smell of the surgical mask. Must be the same way garbage collectors feel. Part of the job. Familiar and maybe even comforting.

My girlfriend doesn’t get used to it, though. Coming home from work, she can tell which days I’ve been filming an operation.

—

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time, and was inspired to finally do so by this post from Sid Schwab’s excellent Surgeonsblog.

“Miscarriages and Computers- Kaiser Permanente study determined that women who worked more than 20 hours a week with VDU’s miscarried at a rate 80% higher than women who did the same work without VDU’s.”

“VDU’s and Fetuses- Animal studies in Sweden have found that EMF similar to that emitted by VDU’s caused malformation in fetuses.”

“Miscarriages Among Female Physical Therapists Who Report using Radio and Microwave-Frequency Radiation- Johns Hopkins University researchers report that physical therapists who are exposed to microwave (but not short-wave) diathermy units while pregnant, have an increased risk of miscarriage.”

“Occupation and Pregnancy Outcome- Low birth weight was associated with woman who operated electrical equipment as their occupation.”

“Perinatal Depression- Women who lived within 100 meters of power lines at 132kV and above experience a statistically higher incident of perinatal depression. Study was done in England using 11,292 women.”

                “EMF and Sex-Distribution of Offspring- Children born near a high voltage power station in Baghdad were                         87% girls, and 13% boys. Author suggests high female percentages might also be related to the same                                     percentages seen in offspring of lymphoma patients. Speculations are that EMF exposure interferes with                         calcium and this in turn affects the Y- bearing sperm (male) more than the x-bearing sperm motility.                                 Association Between Childhood Cancer and Magnetic Fields from Ground Current Sources- University of                         North Carolina researchers concluded the risk of cancer is increased among persons with increased                                     magnetic field exposures from residential ground currents (the currents flow through plumbing lines into                     the home from grounding conductors off power poles).”

http://darrendixon.supanet.com/emfdangers.htm