Role of OT Table Height on the Task Performance of Minimal Access Surgery

The advent of laparoscopic surgery has changed the conceptof surgery from prolonged painful to painless, cosmetically satisfyingand short stay. In the past few years many instruments have beendeveloped and introduced into the operating room (OR), but there hasbeen ongoing debate about the optical ergonomic posture of theoperating surgeon.One of the main ergonomic problem in our currently availableoperating room table is that they are designed for the open surgery andare not ideal (suitable) for the laparoscopic surgery. Since laparoscopicsurgery requires the use of longer instruments than open surgery, thuschanging the relation between the height of the surgeon and the desirableheight of the operating room table.This study aims to understand an ergonomically optimal operatingtable height required for the particular height of the surgeon from thefloor so that they can perform their surgery comfortably.The operating table height was defined as the upper level of thetable from the floor. The study was undertaken keeping all othervariables fixed (Elevation angle, Manipulation angle, Azimuth angle,Distance of monitor.) Coaxial alignments were maintained. The onlyvariable was the operating room (OR) table height.