Laser Checkout and Demonstration Procedures

Abstract

Simplified checkouts can be developed for most types of surgical lasers. Any checkout procedure should be sufficiently simple and quick so that it will be used routinely and indicate more than simple power output. For example, the Baggish 1-joule test described below is both simple and elegant. It tests at least three separate parameters simultaneously, namely (a) the focal point at the target, (b) the focal spot diameter (which could be affected if the laser jumped into a multimode operation), and (c) the laser beam power. When a laser is moved from one floor to another or jostled during surgical or cleanup procedures, the fine alignment of resonator mirrors and other optical elements in the laser system can cause the laser to slip out of alignment. This has potentially adverse results for surgery and operational safety.