Home / ESU accessories / Grounding pads — disposable return electrode
Grounding pads — disposable return electrodes, adult and pediatric
SizesAdult + pediatric
PatternReturn electrode / bipolar plate
UseDisposable
CompanionPlate cable 6.3 mm, 4 m
The return electrode is the safety half of monopolar electrosurgery: it must collect the current over enough area, with uniform contact, for the whole procedure. The grounding pads stocked here are disposable return electrodes in adult and pediatric sizes — including a bipolar plate pattern in the adult line — sized so the pad is chosen by patient, not stretched across both.
Pads are generator-agnostic at the skin and generator-specific at the plug: the pad's cable terminates for the generator family in use, and where a theatre runs a reusable patient plate instead, the plate cable (6.3 mm audio-plug pattern, 4 m) is stocked as its companion wear part.
Adult and pediatric sizing
Return-electrode burns are a contact-area problem: too small a pad, partial adhesion, or placement over scar tissue, bony prominence or hair concentrates current density. Pediatric pads exist because an adult pad folded or trimmed to fit is precisely the failure mode the sizing prevents. Select by patient size, apply to clean, dry, well-perfused skin per the generator's instructions, and treat any pad that will not adhere fully as no pad at all. Contact quality is verifiable before the case starts: most modern generators monitor return-electrode contact (split-pad/REM-style monitoring where fitted) and will alarm on a poor application — that alarm is a feature to use at draping time, not to silence. Site selection follows the same logic: a large, well-perfused muscle mass, prepared skin, and a cable run that will not be pulled when the patient or the table moves.
- Adult disposable grounding pads
- Pediatric disposable grounding pads
- Bipolar plate pattern (adult line)
Pads, plates and cables — which system do you run?
Most modern theatres run disposable pads with an integrated or clipped cable. Lists still using reusable plates need the plate in good surface condition and its cable sound: the stocked plate cable (6.3 mm plug, 4 m) replaces the wear item without touching the generator. State the generator model when ordering either pattern and the termination is confirmed.
Representative products from the current catalogue
| Product (official store listing) | Key specifications |
|---|---|
| Disposable Grounding Pad,Adult, Bipolar plate | Disposable Grounding Pad, ESU, ESU Cable |
| Disposable Grounding Pad,Pediatric | Disposable Grounding Pad, ESU, ESU Cable |
| Disposable Sterile Electrosurgical Pencil，3pin，9 ft (2.8m) | ESU, ESU Cable |
| Erbe-compatible Reusable Electrosurgical Pencil with 4.8mm banana plug | Erbe: For High frequency electrosurgical equipment with 4.8mm banana plug connector；Category: ESU Cable；Instrument End Connector: 4.8mm Banana Connector；Cable Length: 4.5m；Latex-free: Yes；Packaging Unit: 1；Weight: 0.35lb；Cable Material: Sil |
| Reusable ESU Patient Plate Cable, 6.3mm Audio Plug, 4m | ALL: 6.3mm audio socket for High frequency electrosurgical equipment；Category: ESU Cable；Instrument End Connector: 6.35 audio plug C onnector；Cable Length: 4.0m；Latex-free: Yes；Packaging Unit: 1；Weight: 0.35lb；Cable Material: PVC Jacket；Pat |
Questions & answers
Can an adult pad be cut down for a child?
No. Use the pediatric pad: return-electrode safety depends on the designed contact area and adhesive border.
Are the pads compatible with my generator?
Pads terminate per generator family; tell us the generator model and the connection is confirmed before ordering.
What if we use a reusable patient plate?
The plate cable (6.3 mm audio-plug pattern, 4 m) is stocked as the replacement wear part for plate systems.
See also: All ESU accessories · Match my generator