A Preliminary Study on Grip-Induced Nerve Damage Caused by a Soft Pneumatic Elastomeric Gripper

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Surgical Technology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Conventional surgical tools like haemostats can cause unintended tissue damage due to their rigid structure and high gripping forces.
• Soft pneumatic surgical grippers offer a potential solution due to their compliant and compressible silicone elastomeric materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare grip-induced nerve damage caused by soft pneumatic elastomeric grippers versus conventional haemostats.
• To assess the efficacy of soft grippers in minimizing surgical manipulation-related tissue injury.

Main Methods:

• Sciatic nerve compression in Wistar rats using soft pneumatic grippers and haemostats.
• Histopathological analysis at multiple time points (Day 0, 3, 7, 13) to examine nerve morphology.
• Free walking analysis to assess functional recovery and limb usage.

Main Results:

• Reduced axonal vacuolar degeneration observed in the soft gripper group compared to the haemostats group.
• Haemostats group showed decreased paw pressure, reduced paw size, and altered limb stance duration, indicating significant nerve damage.
• Soft grippers demonstrated less severe grip-induced nerve damage.

Conclusions:

• Soft pneumatic surgical grippers made from silicone elastomeric materials may reduce the severity of grip-induced nerve damage.
• These compliant grippers offer a safer alternative to conventional haemostats for delicate tissue manipulation.
• Soft grippers have the potential to complement existing surgical tools.