Scalpel versus diathermy skin incision in elective surgery: a comparative study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20243692Keywords:
Diathermy, Incision, Infection, Scalpel, SurgeryAbstract
Background: Elective surgeries often employ either diathermy or scalpel for skin incisions, yet there is limited comprehensive research comparing the two methods. This observational study aims to compare the clinical and medical outcomes of diathermy and scalpel skin incisions in elective surgeries.
Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted at the Enam Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh, over a period of 1.5 years. A total of 150 patients were included, with 75 in Group A (Scalpel Incision) and 75 in Group B (Diathermy). Various outcomes such as comorbidities, incision time, blood loss, post-operative complications, pain scores and wound grading using Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Grading were assessed.
Results: The study found that diathermy incisions were associated with shorter incision times (mean: 24.81 seconds) and reduced blood loss (mean: 1.82 ml) compared to scalpel incisions (mean incision time: 53.14 seconds, mean blood loss: 9.61 ml). Post-operative complications varied, with hematoma being more prevalent in the scalpel group (20.00%). Pain scores were consistently lower in the diathermy group across multiple post-operative days. Most participants in both groups had no SSI according to the employed SSI Grading.
Conclusions: The study suggests that diathermy may be a viable alternative to scalpel incisions in elective surgeries, offering benefits such as reduced incision time and blood loss. However, the choice between the two should be individualized based on patient characteristics and surgical requirements. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and provide more targeted recommendations.
Metrics
References
Ragesh KV, Mahendran S, Mathad S. Outcome of skin incision by cautery versus steel scalpel in hernia surgery: a prospective cohort study at a tertiary medical college hospital in South India. Inter Surg J. 2017;4(5):1521-4.
Nandurkar VS, Prakash M, Suma S. Diathermy versus scalpel incisions in elective abdominal surgery: a comparative study. Int Surg J. 2018;5(9):3124-8.
Prakash LD, Balaji N, Kumar SS, Kate V. Comparison of electrocautery incision with scalpel incision in midline abdominal surgery – A double blind randomized controlled trial. Int J Surg. 2015;19:78-82.
Charoenkwan K, Iheozor‐Ejiofor Z, Rerkasem K, Matovinovic E. Scalpel versus electrosurgery for major abdominal incisions. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;2017(6):CD005987.
Talpur AA, Khaskheli AB, Kella N, Jamal A. Randomized, clinical trial on diathermy and scalpel incisions in elective general surgery. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2015;17(2):e14078.
Ly J, Mittal A, Windsor J. Systematic review and meta-analysis of cutting diathermy versus scalpel for skin incision. Br J Surg. 2012;99(5):613-20.
Patil VB, Mule VD, Raval RM, Kulkarni AA. Observational study of scalpel versus electrocautery for subcutaneous incision in elective gynaecological surgeries. Inter J Reproduct Contracept Obstetr Gynecol. 2017;6(3):950-4.
Shaaban AS, Elshorbagy AM, Rashed RM. Comparison between cutting diathermy and surgical scalpel for skin incision during cesarean section. Scient J Medi Scholar. 2022;1(2):51-5.
Shetty K, Shetty D, Nemani PK. Randomised controlled clinical trial of scalpel versus diathermy for abdominal skin incisions. Ind J Surg. 2021;83(6):1464-9.
Smyth E, Emmerson A. Surgical site infection surveillance. J Hosp Infect. 2000;45(3):173-184.
Lodhi JK, Malik A, Bokhari ST, Zubair M. Comparative study of use of diathermy Vs scalpel for incision making in midline laparotomy with respect to blood loss. Pak J Med Health Sci. 2022;16(04):156-6.
Yadav SK, Shrestha S, Sitoula N, Singh RK. Outcome of scalpel versus diathermy skin incision in inguinal hernia surgery: a comparative cross sectional study. Birat J Health Sci. 2021;6(1):1358-62.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
