Improperly designed medical devices can induce unwanted biomechanical stressors on their users, impacting health and career longevity. Despite this, manufacturers struggle to balance device design with the growing female surgeon population. We have applied anthropometry to a population of surgeon hands as an alternative to preferred glove size. Correlations to physical dimensions of two laparoscopic staplers were assessed. Five anthropometric measurements were taken from dominant hands of surgeons. These measurements were selected with the goal of comparing resulting data to published anthropometry studies and assessing correlation to preferred glove size and instrument design. The trigger reach of the two laparoscopic staplers were measured to assess suitability among the surgeon population surveyed. Fifty eight surgeons (50 male, 8 female), average glove size 7.5 and 6.0, were measured. Data indicate that male surgeons had significantly larger hands than female. Hand circumference displayed a relatively strong positive correlation with preferred glove size (0.799, R2 = 63.9%); other measurements did not. The trigger span of one stapler was found suitable for only 78.2% of male and 30.9% of female surgeons, based on comparisons with anthropometry of the surveyed population. Anthropometry should be used to characterize surgeon hands instead of preferred glove size. Also, from the limited scope of this research, discrepancies exist between the size of the surgeon hand and the devices designed for their use. The use of inappropriately designed instrumentation can cause musculoskeletal injury, decreased productivity, and shortened careers. Manufacturers would benefit by consulting anthropometry databases to develop products.
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December 2017
Research-Article
Assessing the Importance of Surgeon Hand Anthropometry on the Design of Medical Devices
Michael Stellon,
Michael Stellon
Department of Graduate Medical Sciences,
Boston University School of Medicine,
1224 24th Street Northwest Apartment 703,
Washington, DC 20037
e-mail: michael.stellon@gmail.com
Boston University School of Medicine,
1224 24th Street Northwest Apartment 703,
Washington, DC 20037
e-mail: michael.stellon@gmail.com
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Drew Seils,
Drew Seils
Medtronic Minimally Invasive Therapies Group,
60 Middletown Avenue,
North Haven, CT 06473
e-mail: drew.r.seils@medtronic.com
60 Middletown Avenue,
North Haven, CT 06473
e-mail: drew.r.seils@medtronic.com
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Christine Mauro
Christine Mauro
Medtronic Minimally Invasive Therapies Group,
555 Long Wharf Drive,
New Haven, CT 06511
e-mail: christine.mauro@medtronic.com
555 Long Wharf Drive,
New Haven, CT 06511
e-mail: christine.mauro@medtronic.com
Search for other works by this author on:
Michael Stellon
Department of Graduate Medical Sciences,
Boston University School of Medicine,
1224 24th Street Northwest Apartment 703,
Washington, DC 20037
e-mail: michael.stellon@gmail.com
Boston University School of Medicine,
1224 24th Street Northwest Apartment 703,
Washington, DC 20037
e-mail: michael.stellon@gmail.com
Drew Seils
Medtronic Minimally Invasive Therapies Group,
60 Middletown Avenue,
North Haven, CT 06473
e-mail: drew.r.seils@medtronic.com
60 Middletown Avenue,
North Haven, CT 06473
e-mail: drew.r.seils@medtronic.com
Christine Mauro
Medtronic Minimally Invasive Therapies Group,
555 Long Wharf Drive,
New Haven, CT 06511
e-mail: christine.mauro@medtronic.com
555 Long Wharf Drive,
New Haven, CT 06511
e-mail: christine.mauro@medtronic.com
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received October 15, 2016; final manuscript received May 26, 2017; published online August 17, 2017. Assoc. Editor: Rita M. Patterson.
J. Med. Devices. Dec 2017, 11(4): 041004 (6 pages)
Published Online: August 17, 2017
Article history
Received:
October 15, 2016
Revised:
May 26, 2017
Citation
Stellon, M., Seils, D., and Mauro, C. (August 17, 2017). "Assessing the Importance of Surgeon Hand Anthropometry on the Design of Medical Devices." ASME. J. Med. Devices. December 2017; 11(4): 041004. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4037257
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