Endometrial Ablation Device
NovaSure disposable device · NovaSure wand · Global endometrial ablation device · Bipolar endometrial ablation device · Thermal balloon catheter · Uterine balloon catheter
A single-use, pistol-grip wand with a long thin sheathSHEETHA covering that wraps around a structure; in procedures, a short hollow tube left in a blood vessel to pass catheters through.Full entry . Squeezing the handles opens a fan-shaped mesh electrode out of the tip that conforms to the uterine cavity, and a WIDTH dial on the handle reads the cavity width. A connecting cord carries the RF cable and suction tubing to the controller. The thermal balloon type is instead a catheter with a balloon on its end that holds a heating element.
On the table
What it does, the lengths it comes in and what experienced techs know about it.
What it’s for
Global (whole-cavity) endometrial ablationab-LAY-shunA procedure that destroys a small area of tissue, often with heat or cold, to stop it from causing a problem.Full entry for heavy menstrual bleeding in patients who are done with childbearing, done blind without a hysteroscope. After the uterus is sounded and the cervix dilated, the wand goes through the cervix to the fundusFUN-dusThe rounded top or base of a hollow organ, most often the top of the uterus.Full entry , the mesh is opened and seated, and the surgeon reads the width off the dial for the circulator to key into the controller. The controller checks the cavity with carbon dioxideKAR-bun dy-OK-sideA gas made by the body's cells as waste, carried in the blood to the lungs and breathed out.Full entry , then ablates for about 90 seconds and stops on its own. The mesh is closed back into the sheathSHEETHA covering that wraps around a structure; in procedures, a short hollow tube left in a blood vessel to pass catheters through.Full entry and the wand removed. A thermal balloon catheter is passed until its tip touches the fundus, filled with sterile dextrose 5% in waterDEX-trose five per-SENT in WAH-terAn IV fluid of 5 grams of glucose in every 100 mL of water, written D5W.Full entry and heated for 8 to 10 minutes.
Lengths and variants
NovaSure: 6 mm nominal tip diameter; the array treats cavities that sound 10 cm or less, with a cavity length of at least 4 cm and a cornu-to-cornu width of at least 2.5 cm. Thermal balloon: cervix dilated to 5 mm, balloon filled to 160 to 180 mm Hg and heated to 86.6 C (188 F).
What experienced techs know
What techs who reach for it every day know about it.Pro
Through the case
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Inspection and testing
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Caution
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- After the case
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5 sources
- Rock JA, Jones HW. Te Linde's Operative Gynecology. 10th ed. Chapter 15 (Principles of Electrosurgery as Applied to Gynecology), p. 294-295
- Rothrock JC. Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery. 17th ed. Chapter 14 (Gynecologic and Obstetric Surgery), p. 428
- Fuller JK. Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice. 8th ed. Chapter 23 (Gynecological and Obstetrical Surgery), p. 556
- Association of Surgical Technologists (Frey K, ed.). Surgical Technology for the Surgical Technologist. 4th ed. Chapter 15 (Obstetric and Gynecologic Surgery), p. 564
- hologic.com
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