Invisible Risks in Everyday Surgery
A patient lies in the OR, the team is fully focused. Everything seems perfectly prepared – and yet an invisible defect in a surgical instrument can have fatal consequences: electricity leaks unnoticed, causing internal injuries or burns that often remain undetected during surgery.
The danger lies in the insulation layers of electrosurgical instruments. Sterilization, wear, or mechanical stress can damage them – and these defects are almost never visible to the naked eye.
Alarming Findings from Research
International studies highlight how serious this risk is:
- Japan (2022): In an evaluation of 69 reusable endoscopic instruments, 11.6% showed insulation failures. Defects often appeared just a few centimeters behind the tip – exactly where they are almost impossible to see during surgery
- USA (Gwinnett Hospital System, PIAA data): Stray burns caused by insulation failure are among the most severe risks in laparoscopy. According to PIAA, 5.4% of all laparoscopic injuries are electrosurgery-related. In one routine test, 3 out of 9 instruments were found to have defects.
- Netherlands (MC Rijnmond-Zuid, 2007): Dutch hospitals reported 18% of instruments with insulation defects, 40% of them in high-risk zones. Around 70% of electrosurgical injuries went unnoticed during procedures. Bowel perforations due to current leakage carried a mortality rate of up to 25%.
The message is clear: insulation defects are widespread, not rare exceptions. Without technical testing, damaged instruments return to the OR – with potentially life-threatening consequences.
The Solution: Insulation Testing with Diateg professional
This is where the Diateg professional comes in. Using high-sensitivity voltage testing, it detects even the smallest defects such as microcracks, pinholes, or porosities – quickly, reliably, and non-destructively.
Key Advantages:
- Precise & safe – reliably detects even the smallest insulation defects
- Fast & intuitive – easy touchscreen operation, ideal for routine testing
- Versatile – tests cables as well as mono- and bipolar instruments of various diameters
- Practical & mobile – CE-certified, battery-powered, portable, and easy to clean
Why Diateg Can Be Life-Saving
Most insulation defects occur just behind the tip – exactly where they are hardest to detect visually. Even the most experienced surgeon cannot manage this risk without technical support.
Only with a device like the Diateg professional can these invisible dangers be reliably identified – before the instruments reach the OR.
Taking Responsibility – Protecting Lives
In Germany, many hospitals already use the Diateg professional as a standard for insulation testing – a trend that will continue as more facilities adopt this proven practice.
Sales figures so far:
- Germany: 526 units
- Third countries: 481 units
- EU: 120 units
- Previous DTU6 version: 38 units
Today, the Diateg professional is in use in hundreds of hospitals worldwide – and adoption is steadily growing.
At Entrhal Medical, we are convinced: patient safety must never be left to chance.
With the Diateg professional, hospitals and practices establish a new standard that saves lives – day after day.
👉 Make safety the standard. Contact us today and learn how the Diateg professional can support your surgical team sustainably: Contact – Entrhal EN