Keywords
Physical discomforts, muscular fatigue, Electromyography (EMG), laparoscopic surgery
Select the category the research project fits.
Mathematical/Computational Sciences
Is this submission part of ICaP/PW (Introductory Composition at Purdue/Professional Writing)?
No
Abstract
Researchers are finding that minimally invasive surgeries, such as laparoscopic and robotic surgeries, commonly result in musculoskeletal neuromuscular injuries, muscular fatigue, and arthritic injury and pain. These surgeries allow for a quicker patient recovery time, but pose a hard physical toll on surgeons. If these problems are not prevented, they can impact the healthcare system by affecting operation schedules and the quality of surgeries. Studies were geared towards identifying physical symptoms and reducing pain and discomfort from different surgeries. Physical discomfort, postural stability, ergonomic issues, stress, surgeons’ activities, spinal motion, workload, and Electromyography (EMG) data were measured in order to determine the risks and effects of laparoscopic surgeries on surgeons. EMG signals showed that certain muscles are used more frequently than others and therefore have a greater risk of fatiguing suggesting that operations requiring higher accuracy be performed earlier in a surgeon’s schedule. It was also found that laparoscopic surgeries have more taxing effects on surgeons due to the high physical muscular workload required of the thumb and forearm muscles, measured by surface EMG during a simulated task. However, studies were limited in measuring fatigue due to identifying a specific point at which an individual is fatigued. Another issue was the difficulty ensuring constant conditions in real workplaces because there may be disturbances from time constraints, cleaning, or changing specifications. The results of this research will provide more insights to the sources of fatigue (tools, procedure, posture, etc.) over the surgery time.
Recommended Citation
Harmon, Rachel, "Objective Muscular Fatigue Analysis in Minimally Invasive Surgeries" (2019). Purdue Undergraduate Research Conference. 17.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purc/2019/Posters/17
Objective Muscular Fatigue Analysis in Minimally Invasive Surgeries
Researchers are finding that minimally invasive surgeries, such as laparoscopic and robotic surgeries, commonly result in musculoskeletal neuromuscular injuries, muscular fatigue, and arthritic injury and pain. These surgeries allow for a quicker patient recovery time, but pose a hard physical toll on surgeons. If these problems are not prevented, they can impact the healthcare system by affecting operation schedules and the quality of surgeries. Studies were geared towards identifying physical symptoms and reducing pain and discomfort from different surgeries. Physical discomfort, postural stability, ergonomic issues, stress, surgeons’ activities, spinal motion, workload, and Electromyography (EMG) data were measured in order to determine the risks and effects of laparoscopic surgeries on surgeons. EMG signals showed that certain muscles are used more frequently than others and therefore have a greater risk of fatiguing suggesting that operations requiring higher accuracy be performed earlier in a surgeon’s schedule. It was also found that laparoscopic surgeries have more taxing effects on surgeons due to the high physical muscular workload required of the thumb and forearm muscles, measured by surface EMG during a simulated task. However, studies were limited in measuring fatigue due to identifying a specific point at which an individual is fatigued. Another issue was the difficulty ensuring constant conditions in real workplaces because there may be disturbances from time constraints, cleaning, or changing specifications. The results of this research will provide more insights to the sources of fatigue (tools, procedure, posture, etc.) over the surgery time.