Novel electrosurgical hand controls integrated into a standard laparoscopic grasper

Abstract

A novel device was developed that will allow laparoscopic surgeons to hand-operate standard electrosurgical equipment, eliminating the use of electrosurgical foot pedals, which typically cause static, unstable and non-neutral body positions. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to quantitatively and qualitatively determine the optimal ergonomic placement of the novel electrosurgical hand controls integrated into a standard laparoscopic grasper to optimize functionality. Three distinct hand control designs were evaluated by 26 participants during the performance of four basic inanimate laparoscopic electrosurgical tasks. Hand control actuation force and user preference were evaluated for each hand control design. The results indicate that hand control design 1 (CD 1) resulted in the ability to generate significantly greater actuation force for three of the four tasks (P < 0.05). Additionally, CD 1 was subjectively rated significantly better for comfort and ease-of-use compared to the other two hand control designs (P < 0.05). As a result, CD 1 was determined to be an advantageous ergonomic design placement for the novel electrosurgical hand controls integrated into a standard laparoscopic grasper. Copyright 2010 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc. All rights reserved.