Carotid artery bursting pressure and seal time after multiple uses of a vessel sealing device.

Objective: To determine any loss of function of a single-use bipolar vessel sealing device after repeated sterilization and use on canine carotid arteries.

Study Design: Ex vivo; randomized block design (dog).

Sample Population: Carotid artery segments (n = 90) from 15 canine cadavers.