SAGES

Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons

Patient FAQs on FUSE and Testing for Physicians Now Available – SAGES FUSE Program Highlighted on NBC4

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SAGES Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy™ Committee has developed Patient FAQS to address important questions about stray energy, what patients need to know, and how SAGES and physicians can address the risks. To view the Patient FAQs visit https://www.fuseprogram.org/about/patient-faqs/.

Dr. Pascal Fuchshuber, SAGES Board Member and FUSE Chair, was interviewed by NBC4 in Los Angeles for a recent story regarding the risks of stray energy.

Fuchshuber and SAGES have started a program called FUSE, Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy, to educate surgeons about the risks of electrical instruments in surgery and how to use them safely. He said surgeons “should adapt their technique and how they use these instruments to the fact that every one of them could have this defect.”


Taking the FUSE Exam
 
To address the risks of stray energy, SAGES launched the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy™(FUSE) program to educate surgeons and affiliated OR staff about the safe use of surgical energy-based devices in the operating room, endoscopic suite and other procedural areas. The FUSE exam will be available by appointment at the SAGES Annual Meeting, March 22 – March 25, 2017 in Houston, TX. Before making an appointment to take the exam, you will need to purchase a FUSE test voucher and review the FUSE didactic content. Visit www.fuseprogram.org to prepare and enroll, or for additional testing locations in your area.

 

About SAGES FUSE Program

 
The multidisciplinary FUSE program, created by Drs. Steven Schwaitzberg & Daniel B. Jones, meets a crucial gap in surgical education as, previously, no formal training program had existed that promoted safety in the OR when using surgical devices. The program includes a didactic curriculum and covers a number of topics including the fundamental principles of electrosurgical devices, practical aspects of commonly used energy devices in various settings, integration of energy systems with other devices, as well as prevention of operating room fires. A FUSE certification exam is offered that  ensures  successful learners have acquired the needed knowledge. SAGES encourages mastering fundamental skills in order to ensure a safe standard of care for all patients undergoing surgery.