Incidental bronchial injury by soft coagulation

Soft coagulation is a hemostat system of electrosurgical units, which automatically regulates its output voltage below 200 V, to avoid excessive output that causes carbonization of the target tissue. However, this new minimally invasive technology still has the potential risk of tissue damage during surgery. We encountered three patients with bronchial injury caused by the above system; one of whom had bronchopleural fistula. This is believed to be the first report emphasizing the adverse effects of the soft coagulation system in thoracic surgery, giving a warning to the application of this convenient device.