Safety of energy based devices for hemostasis in thyroid surgery

Energy based devices (EBD) have been developed, implemented and increasingly applied in thyroid surgery because they can provide a combined dissection and haemostatic effect. In particular, advantages of EBD have been described in terms of efficacious haemostasis, reduction of procedure-associated time, reduced incision length, less operative blood loss and transfusion need, decreased postoperative drain, pain and hospital stay. In addition, EBD are essential for endoscopic procedures. On the contrary, a potential drawback is the increased health care costs. This paper reviews relevant medical literature published on the safety of new devices for achieving hemostasis and dissection around the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN).