There are many different methods to get rid of skin blemishes. One of them is cautery. This involves burning away warts, wild flesh or other skin conditions. This can be done either chemically or electrically. but cautery is also used, for example, to burn away an inflamed area in the cervix. In addition, it is used for nosebleeds, cardiac arrhythmias (ablation) and during surgery. It burns the blood vessels shut. Cauterization causes a highly vascularized area or tissue to die or accelerated blood clotting. This depends on the method used.
What is cautery?
The medical world has many difficult names. Cauterization is one of these. This involves burning away tissue. This can be done electrically or chemically. With chemical cautery we often speak of tapping. Cauterization is derived from the Greek: kauterion. In Greek this means ‘branding’.
Electrocautery
This method uses a heated piece of metal. The device or the pen (cautery pin) most resembles a soldering iron. The metal piece is heated electronically. So there is no question of current flowing through the patient, although this is often thought. A low voltage alternating current is used. This creates heat that sears away the tissue. By increasing the tension, the heat is less and more tissue damage occurs. We call this coagulation. It is used for, for example, ablation of the heart.
Chemical cautery
Etching substances are used in chemical cautery. Consider silver nitrate, for example. It is mainly used in the form of a marker (silver nitrate marker) to mark game meat and warts. The skin turns black when touched with silver nitrate. Ultimately, the dead tissue falls off.
History
Cauterization has been around for a long time. In the 14th century, metal was strongly heated and pressed onto the wound. This caused accelerated blood clotting. This prevented bleeding to death or too much blood loss from the patient. In the 18th century this technique became more specialized.
Wild meat
Fibroma, as wild meat is also called. This can occur spontaneously, but we also often see it occur after an injury. Cell division is too fast, causing proliferation of meat. This is often disfiguring. In addition, wild meat can also be sensitive. In many cases, wild meat is removed by nipping it with nitrogen. This can be done by your doctor, but it is also possible that you will receive a marker(s) with nitrogen (silver nitrate) to take home with you. When wild meat has a size larger than 0.5 cm, electrocautery is often used. The capillaries are cauterized closed with the help of a cautery stick. This causes the blood circulation in the wild meat to disappear and it dies. The wound will heal on its own.
Warts
Warts are also removed by dabbing/burning away with nitrogen. This causes the wart to die and disappear. The GP can often perform this treatment in one go. If you want to do this yourself at home, you often need several treatments.
Operations
Cauterization is also used during operations. This is electrical cautery, in which blood vessels are cauterized. This prevents too much blood from being lost during the operation.
Nose bleeding
Nosebleeds can occur spontaneously or due to trauma. The cause cannot always be determined. Treatment is necessary for severe nosebleeds. When it is clear that the blood vessels on the surface are damaged, they can be cauterized. This is done by means of electrocautery. The nose is anesthetized by introducing an anesthetic. It is often necessary to use an ointment afterwards. After all, the nasal mucosa is very sensitive.
Cervix
Sometimes an inflammation of the cervix occurs. This is the lower part of the uterus. The cause is often an infection with a fungus or bacteria. Damage to the cervix can also be the cause. Sometimes irritation occurs due to the use of soap, for example. In all cases, a discharge occurs that can smell bad and is different in color, often yellow or gray. Intermittent blood loss may also occur. Pain during urination and intercourse are common complaints. Ultimately, the inflammation can penetrate deeper into the body. The treatment often consists of antibiotics (for bacteria) or a fungicide (for fungi). Sometimes the inflammation does not go away. The area can then be burned away using electrocautery. For some women this has adverse consequences later during pregnancy: the risk of premature birth is increased.
Heart (ablation)
Ablation is sometimes used for serious cardiac arrhythmias. This involves scarring the heart tissue. It is precisely because of these scars that the incorrect stimuli are no longer transmitted and the heart can resume a normal rhythm. This treatment method is called ablation, but also cauterization. In most cases this treatment is successful. In some cases further treatment is necessary.
