What is a potential complication of electrocautery?

• A. Hypotension
• B. Hemorrhage
• C. Hyperpigmentation
• D. Improved healing

Answer: (B)

Electrocautery uses heat to cut and coagulate tissue, helping to seal small vessels and control bleeding during a procedure. But if a vessel isn’t adequately coagulated, or if thermal injury to surrounding tissue occurs, bleeding can still follow—either from an unsealed vessel during the procedure or from secondary bleeding as tissue necrosis and edema develop. That risk makes hemorrhage the most plausible complication among the options. While burns to nearby tissue or inflammation from heat can lead to hyperpigmentation or delayed healing, these are less direct or common than the potential for postoperative bleeding. Hypotension is not a typical direct result of electrocautery in a minor procedure, and improved healing is not a complication at all.