Detection of Aluminum-doped Zinc-Oxide thin films as electrode for radio frequency tissue fusion

Radio-frequency (RF) tissue fusion means sealing tissue between a knife and an electrode (monoploar) or two electrodes (biopolar) delivering RF currents. Even the mechanism of adhesion is poorly understood, RF modification is correlated to thermal damage. In this paper, a multimodal monitoring system with Aluminum-doped Zinc-Oxide (AZO) thin films glass as electrode is proposed and chicken bowel is chosen as tissue to be fused, thermocouple, impedance test module, video cassette recorder and burst pressure test module can record the whole process and test the result. It was capable of acquiring temperature of electrode, impedance of tissue, while the whole process of tissue modification been visible. As tissue being fused, burst pressure can be measured. Results show the process of RF tissue fusion, and transparent conductive films are capable of being a new kind of electrode in electrosurgery.