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Objective Evaluation of Motor Skills Training Effectiveness of Orthopaedic Residents

David Grow, Ph.D.- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, New Mexico Tech

Presented: March 17, 2015

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this work is to (1) develop tools tracking the kinematics and kinetics of drill systems and (2) extract from the data patterns of "good" drilling behavior that would inform novel paradigms for training surgical skills training outside of the operating room. 

Two systems for instrumentation will be presented along with a preliminary data obtained from each approach.  The first system directly attaches a Stryker System 5 rotary handpiece to a commercial haptic device (Phantom Omni).  With the incorporation of additional sensors (microphone, force sensor, and accelerometers)  kinematics, kinetics, and acoustic data are measured.  The second system is largely the same, except that it utilizes an Optitrack motion capture system in place of the robot to gather both the kinematics of the drill and the arms of the surgeon.

Surgeons and surgical residents were recorded while drilling through both cortices of the diaphysis of a synthetic distal radii while avoiding excessive over penetration of the second cortex. Spatial parameters related to bone drilling obtained include: hole length; over penetration distance; hole minor-axis diameter; hole major-axis diameter; hole major-axis error; drill angle; minimum and maximum velocity; mean roll, pitch, and yaw of drill; vibration in x and y coordinates. The covariance these parameters was explored with some interesting results!  We hope that further exploration of this data, will allow additional insight into the behavioral patterns that result in good clinical outcomes for patients.

Information shared in this lecture was requested be held from public access. MRN employees can access the presentation here.

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