Bipolar Radiofrequency-Based Hemorrhage Arrest in Solid Organ Injury: A Technique to Arrest Bleeding in Porcine Model With Liver Injury Using Electrosurgery

Electrosurgery uses targeted radiofrequency – RF – energy to repair sites of injury. To perform electrosurgery, begin by making a midline incision on an anesthetized porcine model to expose the liver.

Use an abrasive force on the Glisson's capsule – a fibrous hepatic covering – to stimulate an injury and induce bleeding from the liver surface. Create lacerations – deep cuts of varying degrees – to facilitate hemorrhagic bleeding. Place an electrosurgery device directly at the injury site on the liver.

This bipolar electrosurgery device utilizes transcollation technology, supplying the RF energy at the injury site using saline flow through two adjacent electrodes. Each electrode has a terminal nozzle that ejects a stream of saline at a constant rate as the device moves. The passage of high-frequency alternating current produces ionic oscillations inside the tissue. This process generates frictional heat, elevating the temperature at the injury site.

A steady flow of saline from the probe provides an even heat distribution through the cut. The heat allows thermal coagulation – a process that denatures the collagen proteins at the cut ends of the vessels. Upon cooling, the collagen strands reform into an entangled mass, sealing the wound and arresting the blood flow. After hemorrhage arrest, the porcine liver can be used for further testing.