Burns as a complication of the use of diathermy.

Surgical diathermy is an invaluable aid in modern surgery, and most contemporary diathermy machines are considered safe. The literature has proven to be very sparse in terms of reference to complications, although prolonged courses of treatment are required in individual cases. We report a case of burns that occurred during a saphenous vein coronary bypass graft caused by the inadequate use of the electrosurgical materials. Care should be taken in the use of these resources to avoid complications of this kind.