Disposable adhesive dispersive (return) electrode
A single-use flexible adhesive pad (foam or polymer film backing) with a conductive hydrogel surface; many modern versions have a split (dual-segment) conductive area wired through a two-pin cable to the generator.
How it is used
Applied to a large muscle mass on the patient (thigh or buttock) to complete the monopolar electrosurgery circuit, safely dispersing return current back to the generator and avoiding thermal injury from current concentration.
Clinical tip
Place over a large, well-vascularized muscle mass close to the surgical site, avoiding scar tissue, bony prominences, or hair; dual-segment pads trigger a generator alarm or shutdown if contact quality deteriorates (contact quality/REM monitoring), which helps prevent burns.
Sources
This entry is part of the Instriq catalog, researched and written per specialty from real web research -- never generated or invented without verification -- and reviewed skeptically and independently before publication. How this catalog is written.
History
Added to the catalog on 2026-10-07.
Dates derived from the project's public version-control history on GitHub, not a live collaborative edit log.