Comparative study of video recordings of non-medical devices in laparoscopic surgery: a cross-sectional study

Laparoscopic surgery is the approach of choice for multiple procedures, being laparoscopic cholecystectomy one of the most frequently performed surgeries. Likewise, video recording of these surgeries has become widespread. Currently, the market offers medical recording devices (MRD) with an approximate cost of 2000 USD, and alternative non-medical recording devices (NMRD) with a cost ranging from 120 to 200 USD. To our knowledge, no comparative studies between the available recording devices have been done. We aim to compare the perception of the quality of videos recorded by MRD and NMRD in a group of surgeons and surgical residents.

A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey to compare recordings from three NMRDs (Elgato 30 fps, AverMedia 60 fps, Hauppauge 30 fps) and one MRD (MediCap 20 fps) during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The survey assessed: definition of anatomical structures (DA), fluidity of movements (FM), similarity with the operating room screen (ORsim), and overall quality (OQ). Descriptive and nonparametric analytical statistics tests were applied. Results were analyzed using JMP-15 software.

Forty surveys were collected (80% surgeons, 20% residents). NMRDs scored significantly higher than MRD in DA (p = 0.003), FM (p < 0.001), ORsim (p < 0.001), and OQ (p < 0.001). One NMRD was chosen as the highest quality device (70%), and MRD as the poorest (78%). No significant differences were found when analyzing by surgical experience.

In terms of recording laparoscopic procedures, non-medical video recording devices (NMRDs) outperformed medical-grade recording device (MRD) with a higher overall score. This suggests that NMRDs could serve as a cost-effective alternative with superior video quality for recording laparoscopic surgeries.