Structuring knowledge from surgical observations for design reuse

Abstract

Due to the many benefits that it offers patients, Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is becoming even more and more popular in a wide range of surgical fields. This paper describes a set of surgical observations that were carried out in order to investigate the problem of swapping of single functional tools that takes place in a particular MIS procedure. Results showed the need for multifunctional end-effectors having modular and interchangeable interfaces. This paper contributes to generating a set of design guidelines from the knowledge captured from a number of medical professionals, from observations made inside the operating theatre and from a review of existing patents. The ultimate aim of capturing and structuring the knowledge is to reuse it in medical device companies involved in design and manufacturing, by incorporating it in a knowledge intensive prototype tool to proactively guide designers in the early stages of design.