ULTRALOW COST LAPAROSCOPY TRAINER

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons designed the Fellowship in Laparoscopic Surgery [FLS] training program. This validated program is awfully expensive and uses expensive consumables for practice.

Our project teaches manual dexterity and hand – eye coordination. The teaching and supervision of training is through the zoom meeting and evaluation and self-assessment is using the modified and validated (for rural areas) McGill Inanimate System for Training and Evaluation of Laparoscopic Skills [MISTELS criteria].

The materials used are locally available gauze pieces, cotton balls, gloves, Double “J” stent pushers and reusable needles and thread.

The surgical training module uses the modification of the FLS tasks that are standardized and validated. The modifications are for making them suitable for use with the less expensive and easily available materials. The number of tasks are increased to teach Single Incision surgical techniques.

The ‘zoom’ meeting platform is used for demonstrating the techniques and supervising how trainees perform the technique. The MISTELS criteria is used for assessment by the trainer and self-assessment.

The specific tasks that are taught are the following

1)    PEG TRANSFER – 2 PORTS [Already done by FLS]

2)      PEG TRANSFER – SINGLE PORT

3)      ENDO LOOP APPLICATION ON GLOVE FINGER

4)      EXTRACORPOREAL KNOTTING ON PEG

5)      EXTRACORPOREAL KNOTTING ON GLOVE FINGER

6)      INTRA - CORPOREAL KNOTTING ON PEG

7)      INTRA – CORPOREAL KNOTTING ON GLOVE FINGER

8)      PRECISION CUTTING ON GLOVE

9)      SUTURING ON GAUZE PIECE [Standardized knotting and number of bites(4)

10)   SINGLE PORT KNOTTIN

These teach manual dexterity and Hand – Eye coordination.

The project primarily serves the surgical practitioners in rural areas who are eager to learn laparoscopic surgeries. Our project has developed a special equipment for doing laparoscopic surgeries under easily available Spinal Anaesthesia without using gas which makes logistics difficult in rural areas. The primary contacts are through the Association of rural Surgeons of India and the International Federation of Rural surgeons.

1) Mr. Keso. The project lead is a technical expert who coordinates the project

2) Dr. Gnanaraj J is a Urologist and Laparoscopic Surgeon with three decades of experience in teaching surgery in rural and remote hospitals and is the Past President of the Association of Rural Surgeons of India and Secretary of the International Federation of Rural Surgeons Mr. Manish C is a biomedical engineer who designed the ultralow cost trainer box and is currently with the University of Leeds.

3) Mr. Manish C is a biomedical engineer who designed the ultralow cost trainer box and is currently with the University of Leeds.

We are looking for a Marketing person who can disseminate the technology and take the project forward.