Atlas of visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid for screening, triage, and assessment for treatment / Activity 6

There are essentially two varieties of thermal ablator – a benchtop model and a battery-driven portable model. The benchtop model (also known as Semm’s cold coagulator) runs on electricity and weighs around 3.5 Kg. The operation/ use of the instrument is quite simple and is very convenient.

The front panel of the machine has a switch to turn the machine on and off, a temperature adjustment knob to set the temperature, a temperature display, and a timer (optional). There is a handheld thermal probe with a metallic shaft and a heating plate at the tip. The diameter of the tip is 19 mm, which may be flat or with a small nipple at the center. The probe is connected to the front of the main unit with a cable.