Trial reportSurgical endoscopy2018
Solving the surgeon ergonomic crisis with surgical exosuit.
Trial report in Surgical endoscopy, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 74 citations in OpenAlex.
- Occupational Exoskeletons as a Technological Solution for Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators for Sustainable Workplace Integration.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Industrial exoskeletons from bench to field: Human-machine interface and user experience in occupational settings and tasks.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Physical demands of hernia repair segments and the effect of exoskeleton support.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- How task-relevant vibratory feedback from an active exoskeleton can lead to ergonomic postures.Communications engineering · 2025Article
- Mapping the evidence on occupational exoskeleton use for the workforce in healthcare, social care, and industry: A systematic scoping review.Wearable technologies · 2025Review
- Characterization of biomechanical risk factors during endoscopic submucosal dissection: Ergonomic pilot study.Endoscopy international open · 2025Article
- Development and clinical validation of passive shoulder exoskeleton with novel gravity compensation mechanism for stabilizing arm tremor of surgeons during minimally invasive surgery.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2024Article
- Evaluation of a Passive Upper Limb Exoskeleton in Healthcare Workers during a Surgical Instrument Cleaning Task.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Critical review on applications and roles of exoskeletons in patient handling.International journal of industrial ergonomics · 2022Article
- Exoskeletons in Nursing and Healthcare: A Bionic Future.Clinical nursing research · 2021Article
- Garments and Footwear for Chronic Pain.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Eye-Tracking Metrics Predict Perceived Workload in Robotic Surgical Skills Training.Human factors · 2020Article
- Biomechanical Model-Based Development of an Active Occupational Upper-Limb Exoskeleton to Support Healthcare Workers in the Surgery Waiting Room.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Interventions to improve ergonomics in the operating theatre: A systematic review of ergonomics training and intra-operative microbreaks.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2020Review
- Supporting Surgical Teams: Identifying Needs and Barriers for Exoskeleton Implementation in the Operating Room.Human factors · 2020Article
- [Musculoskeletal disorders among urologists-is there an association with open pelvic surgery? : Results of a national survey].Der Urologe. Ausg. A · 2020Article
- IDENTIFYING BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS OF EXOSKELETON IMPLEMENTATION IN THE OPERATING ROOM.Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ... Annual Meeting. Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Annual meeting · 2019Article
- Study protocol - Interventions to reduce musculoskeletal occupational injury in surgeons and interventionalists: A systematic review.International journal of surgery protocols · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe widespread adoption of laparoscopic surgery has put new physical demands on the surgeon leading to increased musculoskeletal disorders and injuries. Shoulder, back, and neck pains are among the most common complaints experienced by laparoscopic surgeons. Here, we evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a non-intrusive progressive arm support exosuit worn by surgeons under the sterile gown to reduce pain and fatigue during surgery. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This is a prospective randomized crossover study approved by the Internal Review Board (IRB). The study involves three phases of testing. In each phase, general surgery residents or attendings were randomized to wearing the surgical exosuit at the beginning or at the crossover point. The first phase tests for surgeon manual dexterity wearing the device using the Minnesota Dexterity test, the Purdue Pegboard test, and the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) modules. The second phase tests the effect of the device on shoulder pain and fatigue while operating the laparoscopic camera. The third phase rates surgeon experience in the operating room between case-matched operating days.
resultsTwenty subjects were recruited for this study. Surgeons had the similar dexterity scores and FLS times whether or not they wore the exosuit (p value ranges 0.15-0.84). All exosuit surgeons completed 15 min of holding laparoscopic camera compared to three non-exosuit surgeons (p < 0.02). Exosuit surgeons experienced significantly less fatigue at all time periods and arm pain (3.11 vs 5.88, p = 0.019) at 10 min. Surgeons wearing the exosuit during an operation experienced significant decrease in shoulder pain and 85% of surgeons reported some form of pain reduction at the end of the operative day.
conclusionThe progressive arm support exosuit can be a minimally intrusive device that laparoscopic surgeons wear to reduce pain and fatigue of surgery without significantly interfering with operative skills or manual dexterity.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.