Novel force-sensing system for minimally invasive surgical instruments

Area of Science:

• Surgical Technology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Instrumentation

Background:

• Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) requires precise force control, which is difficult to master.
• Improper force application in MIS can result in severe patient harm, including tissue necrosis, infection, and scarring.
• Current methods lack real-time, quantitative force feedback at the instrument's distal end.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel system for real-time measurement, logging, and display of external forces at the distal end of MIS instruments.
• To assess the accuracy, linearity, and repeatability of the force-sensing system in a surgical context.
• To provide surgeons with objective force data to improve surgical technique and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A novel system was designed, comprising a Force-Sensing Sleeve, Bluetooth electronics, and an Android application.
• A 5 mm minimally invasive surgical needle holder was sensorized and integrated with the system.
• The sensorized instrument underwent evaluation for bending force accuracy, linearity, and repeatability across six directions.

Main Results:

• The system demonstrated linear response to forces applied at the tool-tip, irrespective of direction.
• Root-mean-square (RMS) error for force measurement was found to be 0.088 N.
• System noise, potentially due to temperature drift and thermal noise, impacted repeatability.

Conclusions:

• The developed system offers accurate and real-time force sensing capabilities for MIS instruments.
• The system's linear response and low RMS error show promise for improving surgical precision.
• Further research is needed to characterize communication performance for force feedback applications in surgical training and assessment.