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Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol 33, 234-236, Copyright © 1986 by Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society

Technical Report: Transducer Offset by Electrocautery Resulting in Erroneous Blood Pressure Measurement

B. MILNE MD MSC FRCPC1, F. W. CERVENKO MD FRCPC1, M. B. HENDERSON MD MSC1, and P. J. WESTRA BMET1

1 Departments of Anaesthesiology and Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Clinical Engineering, Kingston General Hospital, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario

Address correspondence to: Dr. B. Milne, Department of Anaesthesia, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6.

During a coronary artery bypass operation arterial blood pressure measured with a Bentley Trantec model 800 transducer increased erroneously while continuous electrocautery was being used. This phenomenon has recurred infrequently, with fictitious hypotension being observed in one patient. To reproduce the problem of pressure offset during electrosurgery a bench test demonstrated that with peak to peak voltage of 20 volts from the electrosurgical unit, three of seven Bentley transducers had offsets as much as ± 50 mmHg. It is important for anaesthetists to determine if electrosurgery units are functioning before treating apparent pressure drifts.

Key Words: EQUIPMENT: pressure transducer, electrocautery






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Copyright © 1986 by the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.