Comparison Of Midline Abdominal Surgery Using Scalpel Versus Electrocautery Incision in Rural Indian Population

The scalpel was considered a gold standard for making skin incisions until the inception of diathermy. Nowadays, electrodes used in making diathermy incisions generate a pure sinusoidal current which produces cleavage in the tissue planes without creating damage to surrounding areas, thus leading to minimal burn-related wound complications.4 Hence, this study was carried out to determine whether electrocautery is safe and effective for making skin incisions as compared to a scalpel for midline abdominal surgery. OBJECTIVE: The object of the study was to compare electrocautery incision with scalpel incision in terms of incision time, blood loss, postoperative pain and wound infection. The objective was to determine whether electrocautery is safe and effective for making skin incisions as compared to a scalpel for midline abdominal surgery. Methodology: Patients scheduled for midline abdominal surgeries and willing to participate in the study were randomized into two groups- group A (electrocautery group) and group B (scalpel group). Results: In this study, 52 patients were included and divided into two groups, of which 26 were in group A and 26 were in group B. Intraoperative blood loss and incision time are less while using electrocautery as compared to a scalpel. In terms of postoperative pain and wound complications, there was no discernible variance between the two groups. Conclusion: The use of electrocautery for making skin incisions in midline abdominal surgery was associated with less intraoperative blood loss and less incision time as compared to a scalpel. There was no variance in postoperative pain and wound complications between the two groups. With the above advantages of electrocautery, we conclude that electrocautery is a safe and effective alternative to a scalpel in making skin incisions in midline laparotomy.