Insulation Failure

This is a break in the instrument insulation, a defect beyond the control of even the most skilled surgeon. With the AEM® system, instrument insulation is monitored so that no instrument with a fault is used in surgery.

Insulation failure occurs when insulation along the shaft of the active electrode breaks down and current "leaks" from the instrument, burning nearby tissue.

Insulation defects occur as a result of normal wear and tear, the stress of high voltages, the cleaning and sterilization process, and contact with other sharp instruments such as trocar cannula.

The smaller the defect, the greater the hazard. Defects that are invisible to the naked eye can concentrate current density and cause severe burns to non-targeted tissue.