Design and validation of a modular laparoscope for low-income countries: Design of a low cost laparoscope

The availability of laparoscopy in low-income settings has been limited based on the requirements that have to be met to perform this type of abdominal surgery. At the same time, these regions and countries could stand to gain the most from it based on quicker recovery times and a lower chance of infections. Attempts have been made to solve this...

Improving Access to Laparoscopic Bilateral Tubal Ligation in LMICs: A Novel Lifting Device with an Integrated Imaging System

Background: Bilateral tubal ligation (BTL) is the most common method of contraception worldwide because it is safe and effective. However, its accessibility remains unequal among women in rural India, in part due to a lack of laparoscopic equipment. Rural hospitals therefore resort to gas insufflation-less laparoscopic surgery (GILLS) because it...

Exploring the characteristics of an Appropriate Medical Equipment label to aid the intended use of equipment in low-and-middle-income countries

In Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), a significant challenge lies in the misalignment between available medical equipment and the specific needs of these regions. For example the needs of being adapted to low resource settings. A lot of medical equipment is not adapted to be operated in low-resource settings. This situation has prompted a...

Embodiment of a laparoscopic tower for the Kenyan healthcare context

Limited access to surgical care in low- and middle-income countries has resulted in the loss of approximately 16.9 million lives annually, accounting for 32% of global deaths. This is more than tuberculosis, malaria and HIV combined.<br/><br/>Several factors contribute to this disparity, including the scarcity of surgical equipment. Despite the...

Incentives for Manufacturers in Certifying Medical Equipment for Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Unveiling the Potential of Appropriate Medical Equipment Label

Medical equipment supplied to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are often substandard and inappropriate to the contextual needs. The majority of equipment entering these countries are donated or financed by external agencies. Procurement of equipment also happens through public tendering. However, the assessment and management of the...

The design and development of a context-specific medical washer for laparoscopic instruments for rural Indian hospitals

Rural India faces many challenges in providing adequate health care for all. Health awareness among the Indian population is low due to poor functional literacy and low emphasis on education within the health sector.<br/><br/>Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS), such as laparoscopy, offers many advantages, including smaller incisions, less tissue...

Adoption of Modular Laparascopic Surgical Instruments for Low- and Middle-Income Settings

Technologies for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) need to take <br/> into account local cost, usability and maintenance challenges, and ‘modular’ <br/> device designs can be one way of overcoming these challenges. However, <br/> despite research into the design advantages of these devices, the adoption<br/>challenges have not yet been...

Safe Laparoscopy in Low and Middle Income Countries: Reducing Surgical Site Infections through Laparoscopic Instrument Cleaning

Access to safe and affordable surgery is nothing short of a basic human right and people from all walks of life are entitled to it. But, five people from resource-constrained low and middle-income countries are vulnerable and left to fend for themselves when the need for surgery is a life governing event. Inhabitants of these regions are...

Optimising the Design of a Medical Device Intended for Use in Low- and Middle Income Countries

Introduction: Smart Medics Company is a startup from the Delft University of Technology, looking to bring an affordable Video laryngoscope (VL) into hospitals in low-resource regions. This research aims to seek the best suitable transparent material to act as a lens, sealing off a compartment containing an endoscope, as well as, bring forth a...

Design of a module for bipolar vessel sealing: The conversion of Electrosurgical to Advanced bipolar power for Low- and Middle-income countries

According to recent survey [1], about 6 billion people live in Low-and-Middle Income Countries (LMICs) who do not have proper access to safe surgical care. There are several reasons behind this, such as lack of funding to the healthcare department, below par maintenance of the available devices, poor infrastructure and most importantly high cost...

Designing a test set-up to measure electrosurgical parameters: In Search of Design Requirements for an Electrosurgical Unit for Low-and-Middle Income Countries

Safe surgical and anesthetic care is not available to 5 billion people worldwide. Many problems that are encountered when providing surgical care are related to surgical equipment. A lot of surgical equipment is designed for the use in High-Income Countries (HICs) and not specifically for Low-and-Middle Income countries (LMICs). One appliance,...

Critical Design Requirements for an Electrosurgical Unit used in Low-Middle Income Countries

Introduction: Over five billion people in mainly low and middle income countries (LMICs) do not have access to safe surgery. This is due to a lack of available and functional medical equipment, where up to 70% of the existing equipment is broken. Some reasons for this shortage in medical equipment are a lack of funding, maintenance, training,...