The benefits of electrosurgery have been acknowledged since the early 1920s, and nowadays more than 80% of surgical procedures involve devices that apply energy to tissues. Despite its widespread use, it is currently unknown how the operator's choices with regard to instrument selection and application technique are related to complications. As such, the manner in which electrosurgery is applied can have a serious influence on the outcome of the procedure and the well-being of patients. The aim of this study is to investigate the variety of differences in usage of electrosurgical devices. Our approach is to measure these parameters to provide insight into application techniques. A sensor was developed that records the magnitude of electric current delivered to an electrosurgical device at a frequency of 10 Hz. The sensor is able to detect device activation times and a reliable estimate of the power-level settings. Data were recorded for 91 laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed by different surgeons and residents. Results of the current measurement data show differences in the way electrosurgery is applied by surgeons and residents during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Variations are seen in the number of activations, the activation time, and the approach for removal of the gallbladder. Analysis showed that experienced surgeons have a longer activation time than residents (3.01 vs 1.41 seconds, P <.001) and a lower number of activations (102 vs 123). This method offers the opportunity to relate application techniques to clinical outcome and to provide input for the development of a best practice model.

A clear visualization of the operative field is of critical importance in endoscopic surgery. During surgery the endoscope lens can get fouled by body fluids (eg, blood), ground substance, rinsing fluid, bone dust, or smoke plumes, resulting in visual impairment. As a result, surgeons spend part of the procedure on intermittent cleaning of the endoscope lens. Current cleaning methods that rely on manual wiping or a lens irrigation system are still far from ideal, leading to longer procedure times, dirtying of the surgical site, and reduced visual acuity, potentially reducing patient safety. With the goal of finding a solution to these issues, a literature review was conducted to identify and categorize existing techniques capable of achieving optically clean surfaces, and to show which techniques can potentially be implemented in surgical practice. The review found that the most promising method for achieving surface cleanliness consists of a hybrid solution, namely, that of a hydrophilic or hydrophobic coating on the endoscope lens and the use of the existing lens irrigation system.

Laparoscopic hysterectomy is a procedure that involves the removal of the uterus through an abdominal keyhole incision. Morcellators have been specifically designed for this task, but their use has been discouraged by the food and drug administration (FDA) since November 2014 because of risks of cancerous tissue spread. The use of laparoscopic bags to catch and contain tissue debris has been suggested, but this does not solve the root cause of tissue spread. The fundamental problem lies in the tendency of the tissue mass outside the morcellation tube to rotate along with the cutting blade, causing tissue to be spread through the abdomen. This paper presents a bio-inspired concept that constrains the tissue mass in the advent of its rotation in order to improve the overall morcellation efficacy and reduce tissue spread. A design of gripping teeth integrated into the inner diameter of the morcellation tube is proposed. Various tooth geometries were developed and evaluated through an iterative process in order to maximize the gripping forces of these teeth. The maximum gripping force was determined through the measurement of force-displacement curves during the gripping of gelatin and bovine tissue samples. The results indicate that a tooth ring with a diameter of 15mm can provide a torque resistance of 1.9 Ncm. Finally, a full morcellation instrument concept design is provided.