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Volume 8 Issue 12 (December, 2020)

Original Articles

Comparison of the outcome of diathermy incisions v/s surgical scalpel incisions in general surgery
A K Singh, Prashant Pandey, Alok Kumar

Background: Diathermy is the use of non-ionizing electromagnetic energy from the radio as therapeutic agent. The present study was conducted to compare the outcome of diathermy incisions v/s surgical scalpel incisions in general surgery. Materials & Methods: 258 patients reported for various conditions were randomly assigned to group I (129) in which incision with cutting diathermy was performed and group II (129), in which cold steel scalpel was used. Variables such as hospital stay, infection rate and non-infective complications like swelling, bleeding, dehiscence and seroma formation were recorded. Results: Out of 258 patients, males were 148 and females were 110. Inguinal hernia was seen in 15, umblical/Paraumblical hernia in10, breast fibroadenoma in 6, lipoma in14, hernia in 30, cholelithiasis in 44, pilonidal sinus in 35, hydrocele in 25, goiter in 12, undescendent testis in 15, pilonidal sinus in 32 and varicocele in 20 cases. The length of incision 9.5 cm in group I and 5.4 cm in group II, closure technique was sub-cuticular in 101 and 69, interrupted in 20 and 35 and mattres in 8 and 25 in group I and II respectively. Hospital stay was 8.4 days in group I and 10.2 days in group II. Complications found to be seroma formation in 12 and 16, wound dehiscence in 3 and 8 and bleeding/haematoma in 1 and 7 in group I and in group II respectively. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Authors found that both techniques were equally effective in the management of cases. Key words: diathermy, Paraumblical hernia, breast fibroadenoma

 
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