The thing about electroscalpels is that they put off gaseous ions, which, besides being something you shouldn’t breath in, it so happens are perfect for being analysed via mass spectrometry — a method of identifying molecules based on their mass and change. A spectrometer pulls in the fumes from the electroscalpel, and analysis of the chemical sample happens almost instantly, allowing surgeons to, in near real time, “draw a map and say this part is healthy liver, that is connective tissue, this is adipose tissue, that is cancer” according to Zoltán Takáts, a Justus-Liebig University professor who came up with the idea.
Like any other technology-driven medical advance when it comes to cancer, it’s not cheap to implement: The electrosurgery setup alone is $US8000, while the mass spectrometry setup is $US120,000. I wonder how much the first medical tricorder is gonna cost. [Technology Review]