The SAGES’ Resident and Postgraduate Education Committees observed that there has been a dramatic rise in the number and complexity of energy devices for procedural applications, including radio-frequency based systems (eg, bipolar devices, argon beam, radiofrequency-ablation) and ultrasonic energy systems. These devices often facilitate or even enable complex procedures. They are at the core of many innovations in the field of minimally invasive surgery, general surgery, hepatobiliary surgery, urologic and gynecologic surgery as well as endoscopic and image-guided interventions. It is difficult to imagine modern surgery without energy devices, yet despite their frequent use, they remain poorly understood. The combination of electrical current, heat generation, the wide variety of devices and the complex environments in which they are used can result in complications.
The FUSE didactic materials and exam were designed to inform and promote best practice for the use of electrosurgical, ultrasonic and other energy sources in the OR. Any health care professional who has ever used an energy device in the OR will better understand how it works, when to apply it, and what possible hazards and errors can occur.
