Toward design of a modular laparoscopic assistant stand (MLAS)

Laparoscopy refers to the examination of the abdominal cavity by means of an endoscope. Some of the current technical limitations of the procedure for the surgeons are: (a) occasional awkward postures by the operator; (b) the surgeon has to continuously guide the assistant for proper orientation of the endoscope; (c) prolonged period of holding the endoscope can result in unsteady images and (d) some procedures (e.g. fundoplication) which involves holding an organ (such as liver) for extended periods of time can increase the fatigue for the surgical assistant. This paper presents design concepts that are begin developed at ERL and can be assembled and configured in the surgical suite to address the above mentioned limitations. The design is modular which can be configured based on the number of ports of entry required for the surgery (e.g. cholecystectomy, appendectomy or fundoplication) with preferred configuration