Design methodology for a novel multifunction laparoscopic tool: engineering for surgeons' needs.

In minimally invasive surgery (MIS), the small number of incisions necessitates the insertion and removal of many different instruments to complete a given procedure. Using the technique of functional decomposition, it was found that some functions are repeated for different instruments, such as positioning and actuation of the tool's tip. Axiomatic design principles motivated a redesign of current technology to consolidate these repeated functions into a single multifunction tool. The investigators surveyed a laparoscopic surgeon to obtain functional requirements and their relative importance in MIS. These requirements were used in a Quality Function Deployment analysis to design a laparoscopic tool which combined the functionalities of multiple tools into one handheld device, and allowed the integration of the surgeon's needs into the design. This novel tool eliminates the need to remove and reinsert multiple tools during a surgical procedure and decreases the OR time, monetary cost and trauma to the patient.