Safe implementation of hand held steerable laparoscopic instruments: a survey among EAES surgeons

The complexity of handheld steerable laparoscopic instruments (SLI) may impair the learning curve compared to conventional instruments when first utilized. This study aimed to provide the current state of interest in the use of SLI, the current use of these in daily practice and the type of training which is conducted before using SLI in the...

Modular steering mechanism design for cable guidance through reusable minimally invasive instruments

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has made tremendous impact on hospitals worldwide. Introduced as a patient friendly alternative to open surgery by significantly reducing incisions size, benefits such as faster patient recovery time, and less pain for patients, are achieved. However, in MIS, rigid instrument shafts can impair surgeons’ dexterity...

Steerable and Reusable Bipolar Vessel Sealer: Design, Development and Validation

A new radical design approach arose from the need to develop a bipolar electrosurgical instrument that is modular and cleanable, thus reusable and therefore suitable for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Advanced Bipolar Vessel Sealer (BVS) instruments that are currently on the market cannot be cleaned or maintained well and are...

Design and Evaluation of the Epsilon Catheter: Single-Handed Control of a Five Degrees of Freedom Multi-Steerable Heart Catheter

Objectives – Over the past decades, more and more cardiac diseases have been treated in interventional cardiology. Catheters are generally used to access the heart through the blood vessels. The previously developed steerable Sigma catheter at Delft University of Technology, tackles cable related challenges of conventional mechanically...

Design of a novel three- dimensional-printed two degrees-of-freedom steerable electrosurgical grasper for minimally invasive surgery

In current bipolar electrosurgical instruments, a high frequency electrical sinusoidal wave is passed through the patient's body from an active electrode to the return electrode to cut, coagulate, or desiccate tissues. Even though current bipolar electrosurgical instruments have proven effective in minimizing blood loss, advancement is needed...

Design and stepwise user evaluation of an ergonomic 2 DOF arthroscopic cutter

The goal of this study was to determine the preferred handle design for two degrees of freedom steerable arthroscopic cutter by performing a two-step development approach. The expected usefulness and usability of control components of three entirely different handles were defined by an on-line survey with 101 students and the actual control...

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....

Manual Control for Medical Instruments in Minimally Invasive Surgery

With the introduction of new technologies, surgical procedures have been varying from free access in open surgery towards limited access in minimal invasive surgery. During such procedures, surgeons have to manoeuver the instruments from outside the patient while looking at the monitor. Long and slender instruments are developed that can insert...

Design of an injection moldable steerable tip for a laparoscopic instrument

The field of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is calling for steerable mechanisms to increase the functionality and versatility of the contemporary instruments. Since reusable steerable instruments cannot pass the sterilization regulations, disposable instruments could solve the cleaning problem. In order to be cost-competitive, a cheap...

Steerability and Stiffness: Applied in minimally invasive instruments

This thesis discusses the design of a new steerable tip for a laparoscopic instrument. A new tip design is required since current steerable tip designs have problems with the bending stiffness and the lifespan of the cables. Underaction is a main cause of the low tip stiffness. Since one of the design requirements is that the tip needs to be...

Duoflex: Development of a New Multi-Steerable Laparoscopic Instrument

Laparoscopic surgery is a technique in which operations in the abdomen are performed with long slender instruments through small incisions (5-10 mm). Single port surgery is a form of laparoscopic surgery with possible advantages in which the surgeon operates almost exclusively through a single incision. In order to compensate for the limited...