Customizable Device Enables Surgeon to Maintain Contact and Precision with Region of Interest During Open Surgery Procedures
This wearable hand-mounted device enables surgeons to deploy surgical tools without having to remove their hands from the region of interest while practicing conventional open surgery techniques. The global surgical instruments market is projected to reach $1,513.50 billion by 2027. In open surgeries, surgeons use their hands to examine the region of interest, especially when visibility is limited. When the surgeon is ready to start an incision, they must remove their hands and bring their incision tool back to the desired location. In addition to losing time and potentially losing track of the region of interest during this maneuver, the rigid cutting tool cannot always fit into small areas.
However, manual palpitation and gross visualization cannot always identify small anatomical features critical to avoid in open surgery like the parathyroid or ureter. These tissues can be labeled with fluorescing dyes, but detection of these dyes can only be done by bulky handheld tools that cannot fit into constrained spaces like the neck and pelvis.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a wearable surgical tool platform customizable with multiple devices, such as suction, an electrocautery extended blade, and fluorescence detection. By eliminating the need to interrupt an open surgery to pick up different tools and providing new functionality to detect and avoid sensitive tissues, this platform could promote better precision and outcomes than current tools.
Application
Enables surgeons to keep their focus on the region of interest during open procedures in constrained spaces.
Advantages
- Allows surgeons to leave their hands in the region of interest, reducing lost time and error during open surgery procedures
- Enables fluorescence-based detection of labeled tissues, reducing incidence of accidental damage
- Aids with manipulation and electrocautery of tissues in small spaces, promoting ease of access in areas such as the pelvis
- Enables surgeons to customize the device based on the procedure being performed, promoting flexibility of use
- Allows attachment of small hand-mounted camera, eliminating visualization issues caused by a procedure that uses a large camera or microscope mounted high above the operating table
- Provides surgeons with real-time feedback during open surgery, allowing them to access the region of interest with precision
Technology
The wearable surgical device contains multiple ports to attach different instruments. For use in electrocautery procedures, a metal electrode is stored in the housing of the device. Some examples of other add-on devices include a digital camera and vacuum line, although many other instruments could be attached to the ports depending on the procedure. The device is also compatible with a small hand-mounted microscope containing a light source, detector, electronics, and battery. This add-on is compatible with either speakers or a digital display for procedures that use fluorescing dyes to identify anatomical features. It has a button and a wired foot pedal to power the device.
Brochure
