Pre-clinical evaluation of the new veress needle+ mechanism on thiel-embalmed bodies: a controlled crossover study - Experimental research

Background: <br/>Veress needles (VN) are commonly used in establishing pneumoperitoneum in laparoscopic surgery. Previously, a VN with a new safety mechanism ‘VeressPLUS’ needle (VN+) was developed to reduce the amount of overshoot.<br/><br/>Methods: <br/>Eighteen participants (novices, intermediates, and experts) performed in total of 248...

Efficacy and safety of uterine manipulators in laparoscopic surgery: A review

Purpose This review aims to objectively assess the efficacy and safety of uterine manipulators as reported in scientific literature. Furthermore, it evaluates as to which manipulator best suits which surgical procedure. Methods PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, COCHRANE, CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, Science Direct and the MAUDE database were...

Steering and Harvesting Technology for Minimally Invasive Biopsy

Contemporary medical imaging technologies, such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, play a pivotal role in medical diagnosis, allowing for a relatively fast and non-invasive examination of the human body. In the field of cancer surgery they allow for preoperative detection of tumorous tissue and aid the surgical planning....

Force-based assessment of tissue handling skills

In laparoscopic surgery, special instruments with long and slender shafts are inserted through small incisions in the abdominal wall. A laparoscope is used for a clear vision inside the inflated abdominal cavity while laparoscopic graspers and cutters are used for manipulation of tissue. The use of long instruments makes it difficult to “feel”...

Towards safer laparoscopic surgery: Training and assessment of surgical skills and equipment handling

The objective of this thesis is to improve laparoscopic surgical skills training and assessment with an emphasis on equipment-related safety and competence. A comparison was made between a hospital and a petrochemical company and showed that employees at the petrochemical company were trained and certified in equipment handling much more...

Patient safety risk factors in minimally invasive surgery: A validation study

This study was conducted to adapt and validate a patient safety (PS) framework for minimally invasive surgery (MIS) as a first step in understanding the clinical relevance of various PS risk factors in MIS. Eight patient safety risk factor domains were identified using frameworks from a systems approach to patient safety. A questionnaire was...

Visual force feedback in laparoscopic training

Background - To improve endoscopic surgical skills, an increasing number of surgical residents practice on box or virtual reality (VR) trainers. Current training is focused mainly on hand–eye coordination. Training methods that focus on applying the right amount of force are not yet available. Methods - The aim of this project is to develop a...

Force measurement platform for training and assessment of laparoscopic skills

Background - To improve endoscopic surgical skills, an increasing number of surgical residents practice on box or virtual-reality (VR) trainers. Current training is mainly focused on hand–eye coordination. Training methods that focus on applying the right amount of force are not yet available. Methods - The aim of this project is to develop a...

An Isolator System for minimally invasive surgery: The new design

Background - The risk of obtaining a postsurgical infection depends highly on the air quality surrounding the exposed tissue, surgical instruments, and materials. Many isolators for open surgery have been invented to create a contained sterile volume around the exposed tissue. With the use of an isolator, a surgical procedure can be performed...

Force feedback and basic laparoscopic skills

Background - Not much is known about the exact role offorce feedback in laparoscopy. This study aimed to determine whether force feedback influences movements of instruments during training in laparoscopic tasks and whether force feedback is required for training in basic laparoscopic force application tasks. Methods - A group of 19 gynecologic...

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...