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Podcast: Anesthesia Patient Safety Podcast
Episode: #253 When Electrocautery Meets Implanted Devices: What Every Anesthesia Professional Needs to Know
Description: The safe management of non-cardiac implantable electrical devices during surgery requires careful planning and knowledge of device-specific considerations. We continue our discussion from last week with actionable recommendations for each stage of perioperative care.• Electrocautery poses significant risks including device reprogramming, thermal burns, and damage to neural tissue• Turn off devices or set to safe surgery mode before using electrocautery • Bipolar cautery is safer than monopolar; if monopolar is needed, use lowest power setting• Place grounding pads to minimize current through the device generator• Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are relatively safe while motor evoked pot...