Ergonomics of Endoscopic Surgery

This chapter describes the operating room requirements for safe and efficient endoscopic surgery. Since most operative complications are related to improper surgical access to the operative site and equipment misuse, the surgeons, anesthesiologists, nursing staff and administrators in the operating room must have endoscopic surgical training and a broad knowledge of the available technology. The operating room must be specially adapted to endoscopic surgery to permit the use of the specialized instrumentation and optics. The endoscopic surgical operating room should include built in facilities for diathermy, laser, ultrasonographic scalpel as well as endoscopic radiological diagnostics. Each procedure has an ergonomic requirement which includes the position of the table and the surgical team, in addition to functional instrumentation. Continued ergonomic improvement accompanies advances in the clinical application of endoscopic surgery.