Study On The Preparation Of Superhydrophobic Tungsten Alloy Coated Surgical Electrodes And Their Prevention Behavior Against Pancreatic Fistula

As one of the typical energy-carrying surgical instruments,high-frequency electrosurgical units can utilize its thermal effects on tissues to form eschars on pancreatic section and effectively fuse pancreatic duct.This provides a new insight into the prevention of postoperative pancreatic fistula in clinic.However,tissue adhesion on the surface of active electrode aggravates arc discharge to reduce the compactness of eschars on pancreatic section,thereby impairing the prevention effect against pancreatic fistula.Considering the anti-adhesion function of superhydrophobic surfaces and the arc ablation resistance of tungsten alloy coatings,this research explored the development of tungsten alloy coated surgical electrodes with superhydrophobic properties,aiming to improve the anti-pancreatic fistula effect of high-frequency electrosurgical units.In this study,a series of super-hydrophobic tungsten alloy coatings were prepared on the surfaces of 304 stainless steel active electrodes by using electrochemical deposition and chemical etching.With freshly-isolated porcine pancreas as biological tissue samples,pancreatic duct closure tests were carried out using the coated electrodes on a self-made standardized test platform for high-frequency electrosurgical units.And the morphology and bonding strength of eschars on pancreatic section,the blasting pressure of pancreatic duct,and the damage of pancreatic remnant tissue were characterized.The influences of the process parameters of electrochemical deposition and chemical etching on the anti-pancreatic fistula effect of active electrodes were investigated.The main results and conclusions were drawn as follows:(1)Electrochemical deposition is suitable for preparing superhydrophobic Ni-W-Cu tungsten alloy coatings with micro and nano structures on 304 stainless steel active electrode.As the deposition time increased,the thickness of the coatings increased initially.And the thickness almost remained unchanged after the deposition time reached 20 minutes.There is no obvious correlation between the surface wettability and thickness of the coating.The surface wettability of active electrodes affected arc discharge.The better the surface hydrophobicity,the weaker the arc discharge.Therefore,the superhydrophobic Ni-W-Cu tungsten alloy coating on active electrodes can effectively inhibit and resist arc ablation and induce the formation of a densely structured eschar tissue on pancreatic section,thereby improving the anti-pancreatic fistula effect of high-frequency electrosurgical units.(2)Two-step etching treatment using Fe Cl₃ and HCl solution on the surface of 304stainless steel helped improve the hydrophobic property of Ni-W-Cu tungsten alloy coatings prepared by electrochemical deposition.The surface wettability and arc ablation resistance of the Ni-W-Cu tungsten alloy coatings depend on etching solution concentration and electrochemical deposition time.When the Fe Cl₃ solution concentration and the deposition time were 2 mol/L and 9 min,respectively,a Ni-W-Cu tungsten alloy coating with the thickness of 5.07?m and the contact angle of 164.8°was prepared on the active electrode.And the coated electrode effectively inhibited and resisted arc ablation,showing a good anti-pancreatic fistula effect.