Laser Scalpel

The first useful lasers were developed way back in the 1960s and today with advances in laser and fiber optic delivery systems, there has been an enhanced use of laser technology in various fields , especially in the field of medicine. Today, there are a number of laser systems designed for operation in a wide variety of applications primarily related to surgical procedures.

 

What is a laser scalpel?

A laser scalpel can be used in every type of surgery and considered to more accurate than traditional methods. A laser scalpel is a scalpel used in surgery— cutting tissue by the energy of laser light. It is a types of specialized medical instrument which is used for creating incisions in tissues of the human or animal body. It uses a finely-tuned laser beam to make the necessary cuts. The laser light required in the scalpel is available in different wavelengths for varied cutting strength and depth.

 

Laser surgery

The small, intense bright beam or light of a laser can be focused to provide a point of energy which is strong enough to burn through living tissue. Because laser scalpels are usually small in size, they can very delicately reach difficult places. The burning action resulted from laser scalpel during surgery instantly clots the incision, thereby reducing bleeding dramatically. Lasers used in surgery include Neodymium and yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) crystal lasers , argon gas ion lasers, and excimer lasers.

 

How are laser scalpels used?

 

During incision and removal of tissue, a laser beam causes an instant vaporization of the water molecules in the tissue contacted by the beam. The tissue gets removed with a puff of steam, leaving behind a very small amount of charred tissue.

 

Cauterization and necrosis or killing of living tissue is done by photo coagulation of contacted or penetrated tissue. Here the laser beam of the scalpel causes the proteins in the contacted tissue to heat up rapidly and thermally denature, which kills and seals living tissue and blood vessels. 

 

Benefits of laser scalpels

Laser scalpels are nowadays more preferred compared to the traditional surgical lasers because of the following reasons: 

Limited or no bleeding

 

Applications

The laser scalpel is used in medical and other applications wherein the transmitted radiation is delivered to the incident radiation source at an angle. The instrument is capable of coagulating, cutting or vaporizing tissue and hence extremely useful in a wide range of surgical and non-surgical applications. There are various special laser micro-scalpels that can make cuts smaller than a single cell. Reattaching detached retinas, burning away ulcers in the stomach are just a few of the medical uses of lasers.

 

Various medical fields make use of laser scalpels like