8. Characteristics of the helium plasma-driven device

Bovie Medical Corporation's Renuvion® (formerly branded as J-Plasma®) helium-based plasma technology has FDA clearance for the cutting, coagulation, and ablation of soft tissue. The Renuvion® system consists of an electrosurgical generator unit, a handpiece, and a supply of helium gas. RF energy is delivered to the handpiece by the generator and used to energize an electrode. When helium gas is passed over the energized electrode, a helium plasma is generated which allows heat to be applied to the tissue in two different and distinct ways. First, heat is generated by the actual production of the plasma beam itself through the ionization and rapid neutralization of the helium atoms. Second, since plasmas are very good electrical conductors, a portion of the RF energy used to energize the electrode and generate the plasma passes from the electrode to the patient and heats tissue by passing current through the resistance of the tissue, a process known as Joule heating. These two sources of tissue heating give the Renuvion® device some unique advantages during use as a surgical tool for the coagulation of subcutaneous soft tissue for the purpose of soft tissue contraction.
