Valleylab Hand-Switching LigaSure ™ XTD (Patent Pending) Design Project

Valleylab’s LigaSure™ vessel sealing instruments used in open surgical operations are currently operated via a foot-activated switch. Valleylab funded and mentored a senior design project at the University of Colorado at Boulder to redesign the electrosurgical device to include hand-switching. In comparison to hand-switching, a foot switch adds to the device setup complexity and increases the physical demand on the surgeon. Additional drawbacks of a foot switch include risk of inadvertent activation and need to look away from the surgical area in order to accurately activate the switch. Valleylab determined the need to redesign the LigaSure™ XTD instrument, shown in Figure 1, to use a hand-activated switch in order to provide surgeons with greater ease and precision of use.Copyright © 2007 by ASME