Two bovies at once?

[Disco]

Any thoughts on what would happen? I assume this is never done, right?....the the e- current travels from the pen to the grounding pad on the patient's skin. Hmm.....

I could've sworn I saw two bovies being used at the same time on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy (I know, it's Hollywood), when they were operating on the pregnant trauma pt. It just made me wonder.....

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[CSMORR02]

I have seen this done. I saw a plastic surgeon doing a TRAM while a general surgeon did a mastectomy, and they both used simultaneous bovies without issue.

 

[Blue Rover]

I've seen this a lot, too. I saw a couple open aortic procedures via a retroperitoneal approach, and in those cases, the fellow and the attending got to play "dueling bovies" since the incision was really long.

I'm not sure how the physics of it works. Presumably, they each have their own grounding pads, so each circuit gets completed through the body without interfering with the other.

 

[Blade28]

On bigger cases or simultaneous AKAs/BKAs we'll use two of everything at the same time - Bovies, Yankauers, etc.

Each Bovie has its own grounding Bovie pad on the patient's thigh.

 

[mysophobe]

This is SOP for endovascular AAA stenting. Two bovies, two suctions, two set-ups, two cutdowns going at the same time.

 

[Plastikos]

Standard for many big plastics cases and burns.

 

[imtiaz]

this is very common. saw it a LOT on transplant. one hot bovie (higher voltage) and one cold bovie (lower voltage).

 

[MattD]

I don't see the issue. GND is GND, assuming both instruments were plugged into the same electrical system. Who cares if the current from one bovie flowed through the 'wrong' pad? It's all going to the same place! Now depending on how the circuitry worked, there could be some sort of variation in the exact voltage level each circuit used as a ground reference, but in that case the instruments should still work, just all the current would go to the lower referenced ground and there would be perhaps a little back current flow from the higher referenced ground. Still not sure how this would be a problem as the instruments should still work properly and I can't imagine how that situation could be a danger to the patient.

But maybe there's something about the devices I don't know... am I missing anything?

 

[Tenesma]

as long as you have a ground it doesn't matter how many bovies are frying tissue.... just make sure you aren't using the bovie next to the pt's AICD 🙂

 

[mysophobe]

Each Bovie has its own grounding Bovie pad on the patient's thigh.

We have those long table-length grounding matress thingies that stay on the bed.

 

[funkless]

Is anyone else thinking about that last scene in Ghostbusters?

 

[Blade28]

Don't cross the streams!

(That scene?)

 

[TheThroat]

Don't cross the streams!

(That scene?)

We used that reference yesterday. Use two bovies today on a fibula free flap.

 

[Blade28]

Yeah I think every time we've had two Bovies going simultaneously, someone has to reference that movie. 🙂

There'll be a time (probably by the time I'm a senior resident or attending) when the med students/junior residents won't get that reference.

 

[mysophobe]

What's ghostbusters?

Totally kidding. Bill Murray is my god.

 

[Blade28]

Great movie. Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler (sp?), that crazy ghost (I forget his name now), all that ectoplasm.

 

[mysophobe]

Ever read Spook? Nasty stuff about ectoplasm in there.

 

[Lloyd Christmas]

Great movie. Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler (sp?), that crazy ghost (I forget his name now), all that ectoplasm.

Slimer!!

"Tell him about the Twinkie." - my favorite line from the movie...when they were talking about the giant 35 foot long or something Twinkie being all the badness in the city...classic.

 

[Blade28]

Ah, that's his name! Slimer! 🙂

 

[funkless]

Ah, that's his name! Slimer! 🙂

Supposedly, Slimer was intended to represent "the spirit of John Belushi." Bill Murray is the most underappreciated actor of our times.

 

[tRmedic21]

Did you happen to see "Lost in Translation"?

Not his best work....<sigh>