Anti-Adhesion Superhydrophobic High-Frequency Electrotome

High-frequency electrotome (HFE) encompassing rapid cutting speed, effective hemostasis, and simple operation plays a critical role in the electrosurgical field. However, the blood and tissue adhesion on HFE can cause secondary tissue tearing and bleeding. Constrained by the blood and tissue adhesion of conventional HFEs during surgical procedure, aside from prolonged surgical time, secondary tissue tear and bleeding may occur. Available methods have been proposed to alleviate these problems, including additional devices, coating methods, and surface patterning. However, practical applications of existing HFEs with their high cost, low conductivity, and instability remain a challenge. To solve these challenges, we proposed a facile and eco-friendly superhydrophobic high-frequency electrotome (SH-HFE) based on surface patterning, which has blood anti-adhesion and tissue anti-adhesion. The mechanism contributing to superhydrophobicity was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The blood adhesion experiments and tissue adhesion experiments were conducted to verify the effectiveness of SH-HFE with surface patterning in practical applications. Compared with conventional HFEs, blood adhesion and tissue adhesion on SH-HFE were reduced by 89.7% and 94.8%, respectively, while still maintaining excellent conductivity. The proposed SH-HFE would provide significant benefits to the electrosurgical field.