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Electrical Safety in the Operating Room

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Basic Sciences in Anesthesia

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Abstract

Electrical safety in the operating room depends first on an understanding of a number of technical concepts such as Ohm’s law (voltage equals current times resistance) and the difference between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). In addition, one must understand the use of electrical grounding, electrical isolation transformers, and other protection devices. The performance of electrical isolation transformers are monitored using a line isolation monitor. The effect of electrical current passing through the body is determined by the amount of current (amperes), its path through the body, and the duration of the current flow. Should an electrical shock occur, damage can occur via the disruption of the normal physiological function of cells or raising the temperature of the tissue sufficiently to produce a burn. Macroshock refers to large amounts of current flowing through a person, which can cause harm or death. Microshock refers to very small amounts of current (in the microampere and milliampere range) and applies only to the electrically susceptible patient, such as an individual who has an external conduit that is in direct contact with the heart.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For more details see 7 http://web.mit.edu/parmstr/Public/NRCan/CanBldgDigests/cbd032_e.html

  2. 2.

    The Presto Hot Dog Cooker (circa 1960) cooked hot dogs exactly this way. See the demonstration video at 7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St2USEfQxZU. I have read that 1.5 A for 60 s usually suffices to cook the hot dog.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Anesthesiology, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    D. John Doyle

Authors
  1. D. John Doyle
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Correspondence to D. John Doyle .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of General Anesthesia and Outcomes Research, Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Ehab Farag

  2. Center for Anesthesiology Education, Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Maged Argalious

  3. Department of General Anesthesia, Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    John E. Tetzlaff

  4. Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Deepak Sharma

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Doyle, D.J. (2018). Electrical Safety in the Operating Room. In: Farag, E., Argalious, M., Tetzlaff, J.E., Sharma, D. (eds) Basic Sciences in Anesthesia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62067-1_36

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62067-1_36

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62065-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62067-1

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