electrocautery

American  

[ih-lek-troh-kaw-tuh-ree] / ɪˌlɛk troʊˈkɔ tə ri /

noun

Medicine/Medical.

plural

electrocauteries

1. a handheld, needlelike cautery heated by an electric current.

2. Also electrocauterization the process of cutting and cauterizing skin simultaneously, or coagulating blood from vessels around a surgical incision, by means of an electrocautery.

---

electrocautery British  

/ ɪˌlɛktrəʊˈkɔːtərɪ /

noun

1. vet science the use of an electrically heated metal instrument for cautery

---

Etymology

Origin of electrocautery

First recorded in 1880–85; electro- + cautery

Example Sentences

Open prostatectomy also offers the advantages of tactile feedback; greater access to the surgical field; less need for electrocautery that burns tissues; and absence of concern about equipment failure or inadvertent tissue injury.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some may choose to undergo surgery to reduce the size of the swollen mucosal membranes, but procedures such as cold knife surgery and electrocautery often cause pain, bleeding and other side effects.

From Reuters

In a previous clinical trial, the researchers found that children randomly assigned to undergo the microdebrider procedure healed faster and returned to a normal diet more quickly than those who had electrocautery.

From Reuters

The microdebrider technique is technically more difficult than electrocautery, Derkay noted, and most surgeons today were predominately trained in the latter.

From Reuters

Derkay said that at his center, they typically use the microdebrider for treating sleep apnea, but opt for electrocautery when treating repeated tonsil infections -- since that technique does not leave tonsil tissue behind.

From Reuters