Analysis of Hand Size and Ergonomics of Instruments in Pediatric Minimally Invasive Surgery

Moving from the study conducted in 2004 on adult surgeons we want to analyze the ergonomics applied in pediatric minimally invasive surgery. An online survey was conducted among the members of the European Paediatric Surgeons' Association that included 14 questions pertaining to demographic, surgical glove size, double glove use, prior hand surgery, and the ease or difficulty in using different types of laparoscopic instruments. A total of 138 pediatric surgeons completed the survey. The difficulty score (DS) was similar between the 3.5- and 5-mm instruments. Other specialized instruments such as Ligasure, Ultracision, Clip applicators, endobags, and staplers were found to have higher DS. The needle holder was the only instrument that is part of the normal 5-mm operating sets, which was found to have a higher DS. Our survey found increased DS with the endobag and stapler, but this was not significant. Also prior hand surgery or double glove use was not associated with difficulty in usage of minimally invasive instruments when compared with normal hands in this survey.