Comparison of Diathermy versus Surgical Scalpel for Skin Incisions in Elective General Surgical Procedures

Abstract

Objective: To compare diathermy versus surgical scalpel in skin incisions in elective general surgical procedures regarding incision time, post-operative pain and surgical site infection.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental study.

Place and Study Duration: Department of Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Peshawar Pakistan, from Feb to Jul 2020.

Methodology: A total of 106 patients undergoing general elective procedures aged 20-60 years belonging to either gender were included in the study. They were divided into two equal groups of 53 patients each. Patients with ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dirty and contaminated procedures were excluded. Group-A patients underwent skin incisions with diathermy, while Group-B patients underwent skin incisions with a surgical blade on a scalpel. The incision time was noted for both groups. All patients were followed for post-operative pain per visual analogue score and development of surgical site infection.

Results: Mean incision time in Group-A (Diathermy-Group) was 46.58±8.03 seconds, while in Group-B (Scalpel-Group), it was 54.75±7.91 seconds (p<0.001). The mean post-operative pain score in Group-A (Diathermy Group) was 2.25±0.76, while in Group-B (Scalpel Group), it was 3.58±0.91 (p<0.001). Wound infection was found in 3.77% of patients in Group-A, while in Group- B, it was found in 15.09% (p=0.046).

Conclusion: Incision with Diathermy is better than scalpel skin incisions regarding incision time, post-operative pain and postoperative surgical site infection.