The value of collision feedback in robotic surgical skills training

Collision feedback about instrument and environment interaction is often lacking in robotic surgery training devices. The PoLaRS virtual reality simulator is a newly developed desk trainer that overcomes drawbacks of existing robot trainers for advanced laparoscopy. This study aimed to assess the effect of haptic and visual feedback during...

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...

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)...

Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills Based on Force and Motion Parameters

Box trainers equipped with sensors may help in acquiring objective information about a trainee's performance while performing training tasks with real instruments. The main aim of this study is to investigate the added value of force parameters with respect to commonly used motion and time parameters such as path length, motion volume, and task...

Differences in abdominal force between conventional and single port laparoscopy

In laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS), only one single incision is used to introduce all instruments into the abdominal cavity. The introduction of multi-channel single-port devices enabled insertion of laparoscopic instruments and laparoscope through one single entry point instead of multiple entry points in conventional laparoscopic...

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...