MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY GRASPERS

Project brief

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a surgical technique that uses several small incisions—between 5mm and 15mm—rather than a single large incision to operate on tissues. While MIS provides a number of benefits over traditional open surgeries—including reduced pain and recovery times—significant time is spent mobilizing organs (removing the connective tissues that keep organs in place) and retracting them so that the organs of interest can be accessed during more complex procedures. For example, mobilization and retraction of the colon can take up to an hour and often requires several attempts before the organ is securely retracted. Most laparoscopic tools are sharp and ill-suited for retraction of delicate tissues, leading to interpretative hemorrhaging and high morbidity rates. Here, we present two designs of soft retractors: 1) a soft-actuated and 2) a Solid Deposition Manufactured minimally invasive surgical retractor that uses fiber-reinforced soft actuators to safely retract and support the colon during surgery.