Complication of the Use of a Radiofrequency Device in Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery: Second-Degree Burn of the Shoulder Girdle

• Published in: Arthroscopy Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 136 - 141
• Main Authors: Kouk, Shalen N., B.S, Zoric, Bojan, M.D, Stetson, William B., M.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Arthroscopy; Arthroscopy - adverse effects; Arthroscopy - instrumentation; Arthroscopy - methods; Biological and medical sciences; Burns; Burns - etiology; Catheter Ablation - adverse effects; Dissection - methods; Endoscopy; Humans; Humeral Fractures - surgery; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Orthopedics; Rotator Cuff Injuries; Shoulder Dislocation - surgery; Shoulder Injuries; Tendon Injuries - etiology; Thoracic Injuries - etiology; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Burn; Nuclear medicine; Arthroscopy; Treatment; Surgery; Device; Shoulder; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Complication; Endoscopy; Radiofrequency
• ISSN: 0749-8063; 1526-3231
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2010.10.016

Abstract Radiofrequency ablation (RF) energy devices are increasingly being used in arthroscopic surgery. This is a case report of a 53-year-old man who had second-degree burns of the shoulder and chest wall as a result of fluid overheating due to RF. During an extensive arthroscopic bursal dissection of the left shoulder, the suction device on the RF wand and the valve was left open, allowing fluid to drip onto the chest and arm of the patient. Three days after his surgery, on his first postoperative visit, the dressings were removed, and the patient was noted to have severe blistering on the lateral aspect of his arm and on the anterolateral aspect of his left chest wall. One year after the surgery, he still had residual scarring that was only mildly intermittently pruritic. The use of RF during arthroscopic surgery is very useful clinically; however, it is important to have a strict understanding of the potential hazards the thermal energy can cause to the surrounding soft tissue.