Designing novel surgical instruments.
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Survey on Surgical Instrument Handle Design: Ergonomics and Acceptance.
Minimally invasive surgical approaches have revolutionized surgical care and considerably improved surgical outcomes. The instrumentation has changed significantly from open to laparoscopic and robotic surgery with various usability and ergonomics qualities.To establish guidelines for future designing of surgical instruments, the group of Prof. Hannes Bleuler (LSRO1 - Robotic Systems Laboratory 1) in collaboration with Prof. Roger Gassert (ETHZ - IRIS - Rehabilitation Engineering Lab) and the University Hospital Geneva assessed the effects of current surgical approaches and instruments on the surgeon, and analysed the surgeons’ preferences with respect to instrument handles to identify the main acceptance criteria. Although robotic surgery seems to alleviate physical discomfort during and after surgery, the results of this study show that there is room for improvement in the sitting posture and in the ergonomics of the handles. Comfort and precision have been found to be the most important aspects for the surgeon’s choice of an instrument handle. Furthermore, surgeons’ professional background should be considered when designing novel surgical instruments.
Laura Santos-Carreras et al., SURG INNOV, doi: 10.1177/1553350611413611 (2011)