This is talking about a freezing procedure for polyp removal being better than a burning procedure.
“Cold Snare” refers to simply cutting through the polyp with a wire snare. Forceps can be used for both hot and cold polypectomies, as well. There is no freezing. “Hot snare” uses a snare that is connected to an electrical circuit and is grounded on the patients skin with a conductive gel pad. It burns through the tissue and cauterizes. The problem is that it may start bleeding after the colonoscopy is finished.
Occasionally, if a polyp was removed with a cold snare, the MD may decide to “use heat” (ground the patient and use a hot snare or hot forcep) to cauterize an area that is bleeding after removal if it continues to bleed for any length of time after polypectomy.
In general, more of the younger gastroenterologists use almost exclusively cold polypectomy except for unusual situations. “Old timer” gastroenterologists may prefer to use hot because that is what they were taught in school. Also, I find that a higher percentage of colon surgeons tend to prefer to use heat when they perform colonoscopies.
Just one other note: The more recent recommendations from gastroenterology researchers suggests not even sending in most polyps to pathology for identification....I think that is primarily due to the fact they are looking to reduce costs. There are some GI docs who will remove tissue to send in to the lab that clearly is not needed...often the GI practice owns all or part of the lab to which the samples are sent...so they are encouraged to take biopsies and there is financial incentive. In my time working as a GI RN, I’ve removed as many as 36 “polyps” from one patient (who did not have any polyposis syndrome) and 90% of those 36 “polyps” were clearly not polyps....36 separate biopsy specimens sent to the lab and patient/patient insurance billed for 36 specimens tested. (Sent to the lab wholly-owned by the GI practice.)
That being said, there are people who have certain genetically-inherited polyposis syndromes who tend to grow literally thousands of polyps. It is a very sad thing to see because it tends to run in families and treatments are difficult for the patient to deal with. I had a regular patient who had to have his colon removed when he was 18 y.o. His father died at age 36 and another sibling was diagnosed at 16. y. o., shortly after the father died.