Electrosurgery is used routinely in eye surgery to cut, coagulate, dissect, fulgurate, ablate and shrink tissue. High frequency (100 kilohertz to 5 megahertz), alternating electric current at various voltages (200–10,000 Volts) is passed through tissue to generate heat. An electrosurgical unit (ESU) consists of a generator and a handpiece with one or more electrodes. The device is controlled using a switch on the handpiece or a foot switch.
Electrosurgical generators can produce a variety of electrical waveforms. As these waveforms change, so do the corresponding tissue effects.
Cordero, I. (2015). Electrosurgical units - how they work and how to use them safely. Community eye health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4579996/.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4579996/
