Cauterization
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Cauterization is the burning of the body to remove or close a part of it. It is sometimes done for medical reasons, as to treat some kind of wound in an area, for instance, or sometimes performed as a recreational body modification.
Accidental burns can be considered cauterization as well.
Cauterization was used to stop heavy bleeding, especially during amputations. Special medical instruments called cauters were used to cauterize arteries. Ambroise Paré introduced the technique of ligature of the arteries in lieu of cauterization.
Cauterization is used very sparingly today, such as to stop bleeding in nasal areas and to get rid of skin disorders such as warts. During open-heart surgery, cauterization is used to close the many blood vessels in the cavity, as well as remove vessals to be used for coronary artery bypass surgery.
Nasal Cauterization: If a person has been having frequent nose bleeds, it is most likely caused by an exposed blood vessel in their nose. Even if the nose is not bleeding at the time, it is cauterized to prevent future bleeding. The different methods of cauterization include burning the affected area with acid, hot metal, lasers, or silver nitrate. People often find such a procedure painful.