A comparison of incisions made with a surgical scalpel and a continuous carbon dioxide laser was done. The hog was the subject animal because of its similarity to human skin. The short-term stage of the experiment showed that the laser incisions were far better in terms of tissue repair. However, after several days, the incisions made by the scalpel exhibited better tissue reconstruction. But around the 30th day, both systems displayed similar results. This information may aid a surgeon in making a decision on whether a laser may be used safely in an operation.
A quantitative study on the survival of bacteria following exposure to the CO2 laser was determined at the skin surface and in the plume. Known quantities of bacteria were inoculated onto the surface of fresh pig skin and exposed to timed bursts of the radiation. Results indicate that the bacterial population at the skin surface was reduced by several orders of magnitude while the potential for spread of bacteria by the plume of smoke was negligible.
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