Electrosurgery is a means for performing medical operations, with the capability of cutting tissue or coagulating it to prevent blood during surgery. Discarded electrosurgery units (ESUs) can make it to the developing world through the work of charities, non-governmental organizations and other groups; unfortunately, much of it is not fully functional.  This ESU tester costs roughly 1/100 the price of an ESU analyzer used in developed countries, but still provides the essential function: measuring the power output of the ESU.  This information is useful to hospital technicians as they diagnose medical equipment so that they know what repairs or preventative maintenance must be performed. 

“An excellent example of designing simple appropriate solutions for a specific need, that can provide greater benefits to the larger community and institutions. The product is easy to build by non-skilled volunteers, the housing is safe and easy to assemble, and the user interface can easily be localized with customized stickers.”  –Isabel Ancona

Contact: Scott Janis: [email protected]

Credit: Scott Janis, IDSA,  Alissa Murphy and Leah Davis of Hiemstra Product Development; Todd Murphy and Corey Drechsler for Engineering World Health