Resumen:
This document presents the design and construction of a plasma generator for electrosurgical applications. The generator is comprised of four main parts: DC power supply, topology push-pull, controller unit and plasma probe. First results generating plasma by repetitively-pulsed electrical discharges in sodium chloride saline solution are reported.
Descripción:
Plasma is one of the four fundamental states of matter and consists of highly ionized particles, it means, particles highly energized. Typically, plasma can be seen in neon lights or sudden electric discharges such as lightning or sparks. These ionized particles have sufficient energy (3 - 6 eV) to break organic molecular bonds within tissue. This property has been found useful for the application of plasma in surgeries as a cutting tool. Plasma has some advantages compared with other techniques for ablation (removal of tissue by cutting, vaporization, etc.), such as scalpel or electrocautery (cutting by vaporizating tissue applying an electric current), etc