## Output verification is a patient-safety test, not a formality
An electrosurgical generator delivers energy into tissue, and a unit whose output does not match its setting either fails to cut or burns. Ask for measured power output at several settings across the range, in each mode the theatre will use. This is the single check that matters most on this category of equipment.
## The return electrode monitoring circuit
Ask specifically whether contact-quality monitoring is present and verified. The return electrode is what carries the current safely back out of the patient, and a generator that cannot detect a partially detached pad is how a patient gets a full-thickness burn at the pad site. On any modern unit this alarm must be proven to work, not assumed.
## Sizing and accessories
Match the generator to the surgery: general and laparoscopic lists have very different requirements, and a vessel-sealing list needs a generator that supports it. Confirm which handpieces, footswitches and cables are included — accessories are frequently absent from imported units and are not interchangeable between makes.