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Ergonomic re-design of a surgical stapling device

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Project Overview

Despite recent design modifications to surgical staplers, surgical staplers still fail to accommodate even half of the surgeon population. Laparoscopic stapling devices are used both for intestinal resections and anastomoses as well as for vascular control. Dr. Liepert performs laparoscopic surgeries and utilizes Ethicon’s Echelon Flex Powered Endopath surgical stapler to separate and seal tissues simultaneously. Ethicon’s Echelon Flex Powered Endopath Stapler ergonomically accommodates only 33% of a mixed female and male surgeon population.
For the purposes of this engineering design project, ergonomic accommodation is defined as the ability for a surgeon to hold and use the device in the hand as is intended, without overextension of the soft tissues in the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.
New electronic surgical staplers, such as Medtronic’s iDrive™ Ultra Powered Stapling System, attempt to fix the ergonomic failures of surgical staplers, but in doing so eliminate the tactical control required for surgeons to comfortably perform accurate procedures. The design specifications outlined below are aimed to increase the percentage of a mixed population accommodated by the handle of the laparoscopic stapler. This project provides the opportunity for lab based and field study investigation of the ergonomic implications for the device users as well as potential for novel design modifications and/or solutions.
This project is now in the third semester of BME design work. Previous designs explored moving the handle from the pistol grip to an inline handle design. The most recent design has yielded an 89% ergonomic accommodation when tested using the same method as the current device. The goal for this semester is to not only continue to defend the previous design, but also introduce novel and improved ideas. This semester will also focus on the inner mechanism of the device to present a feasible design.

Team Picture

Team members from left to right: Srinidhi Emkay, Connor Sheedy, Kelsey Linsmeier, Yaniv Sadka, Jamie Spellman
Team members from left to right: Srinidhi Emkay, Connor Sheedy, Kelsey Linsmeier, Yaniv Sadka, Jamie Spellman

Contact Information

Team Members

  • Jamie Spellman - Team Leader
  • Kelsey Linsmeier - Communicator
  • Connor Sheedy - BSAC
  • Yaniv Sadka - BWIG
  • Srinidhi Emkay - BPAG

Advisor and Client

  • Mitchell Tyler - Advisor
  • Dr. Amy Liepert - Client
  • Mary Sesto - Alternate Contact

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