Force sensing in surgical sutures

The tension in a suture is an important factor in the process of wound healing. If there is too much tension in the suture, the blood flow is restricted and necrosis can occur. If the tension is too low, the incision opens up and cannot heal properly. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and evaluation of the Stitch Force (SF)...

Discrepant perceptions of communication, teamwork and situation awareness among surgical team members

Objective To assess surgical team members’ differences in perception of non-technical skills. Design Questionnaire design. Setting Operating theatres (OTs) at one university hospital, three teaching hospitals and one general hospital in the Netherlands. Participants Sixty-six surgeons, 97 OT nurses, 18 anaesthetists and 40 nurse anaesthetists....

Evaluation of Operative Notes Concerning Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Are Standards Being Met?

Background - Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the most performed minimal invasive surgical procedure and has a relatively high complication rate. As complications are often revealed postoperatively, clear, accurate, and timely written operative notes are important in order to recall the procedure and start follow-up treatment as soon as...

Incorporation of proficiency criteria for basic laparoscopic skills training: How does it work?

Background - It is desirable that surgical trainees are proficient in basic laparoscopic motor skills (eye–hand coordination). The present study evaluated the use of predefined proficiency criteria on a basic virtual reality (VR) simulator in preparation for a laparoscopic course on animal models. Methods - Twenty-eight surgical trainees who...

Evaluation of protocol uniformity concerning laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the Netherlands

Background: Iatrogenic bile duct injury remains a current complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. One uniform and standardized protocol, based on the ‘‘critical view of safety’’ concept of Strasberg, should reduce the incidence of this complication. Furthermore, owing to the rapid development of minimally invasive surgery, technicians are...

Transfer validity of laparoscopic knot-tying training on a VR simulator to a realistic environment: A randomized controlled trial

Background- Laparoscopic suturing is one of the most difficult tasks in endoscopic surgery, requiring extensive training. The aim of this study was to determine the transfer validity of knot-tying training on a virtual-reality (VR) simulator to a realistic laparoscopic environment. Methods- Twenty surgical trainees underwent basic eye–hand...

Tissue vitality monitoring system and method and surgical technique

Tissue vitality is monitored by means of a sensor attached to the tissue. Preferably, the sensor is attached to the tissue at the end of a surgical intervention, for example after anastomosis of the colon. The sensor is attached to the tissue with a sensitive surface facing the tissue, e.g. at a point of anastomosis. The sensor is designed to...

The application of the line spring method to the prediction of fatigue crack growth in tubular joints