Polymer Based Abdominal Retractor According to Existing Design Parameters

Abstract

Abdominal retractors are an essential tool for successful execution of laparoscopy. Their initial and running costs however can be a hindrance for clinics to implement them into their surgical units. New medical grade polymers offer high medical performance with reasonable strength properties at a fraction of the price to traditional steel instrumentation. This work investigates the possibility of using such polymers as a substitute material for common deep surgery retractors made of medical grade stainless steel. The design is based on measurements taken with a modified deep retractor, integrating a force transducer to obtain loading, during laparoscopy. Geometric and strength properties of the traditional retractor under the measured load condition were simulated in a FEA environment. A design study was then performed utilizing the same model but with modified material (PEEK 450GL30) and geometric properties until a suitable design was obtained. Provided logical geometrical considerations, it was possible to obtain a polymer based design capable of withstanding the load conditions measured during laparoscopy with some limitations.