Patience, precision, and a deft touch
Stryker Spine
Surgical Rongeur
While all orthopaedic procedures pose risks to the patient, spinal surgery in particular requires a great deal of accuracy. Especially when cleaning out the disk space to make room for the implant. A rongeur is a device designed to cut and tear whatever the surgeon applies it to - it may sound indelicate, but given the surgical site, this requires precision and a deft touch. Combine this with a need for the instrument to collect and remove material without getting jammed, and this otherwise simple device becomes much more complex. Stryker sent Humanfactors into the OR to record and evaluate the device in action, and to speak with everyone from surgeons to scrubtechs to better understand the procedure's and instrument's challenges. Through concept exploration sketches, detailed foam models, and functional prototypes, we elicited surgeon feedback to refine an instrument capable of providing the comfort and control required of this challenging procedure.
Surgical Observation
Stryker sent Humanfactors into the OR to record and evaluate the rongeur in action, and to speak with everyone from surgeons to scrubtechs to better understand the procedure's and instrument's challenges.
Concept Ideation
Cut material. Collect material. Remove material. Sounds easy enough, but the material being cut and collected and removed is wet, sticky, and dense, making the task difficult. All manner of cutting, abrading, pinching, and expunging were explored. Add to that the device must perform this rather violent operation in a precarious surgical site, so these instrument mechanisms have very little room to move.
Rapid Prototyping
With the aggressive nature of the rongeur’s cutting action, this mechanism had to be designed in tandem with the handle to ensure the user could control the instrument within the surgical site. A series of ergonomic models were fabricated so that surgeons could gamesplay the procedure and provide feedback about interface’s placement, comfort, and control.
Functional Prototype
Through concept exploration sketches, detailed foam models, and functional prototypes, we elicited surgeon feedback to refine an instrument capable of providing the comfort and control required of this challenging procedure.
