ERGONOMIC DESIGN OF A NEEDLEHOLDER

The surgeon can be studied from an ergonomic viewpoint already used with profit in industry, with the aim of designing tools to fit the human operator. In this paper, analysis of the grips of the hand is the basis for a new needleholder design which makes suturing quicker and more accurate. It is related to the “internal precision grip” of the hand, commonly used for fine work, now added to the recognized power and precision grips. A tool handle can be designed to rotate within this grip, allowing the wrist to be kept steady during suturing.