Outpatient Surgery Magazine

OR Excellence 2019 Awards - September 2019 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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geons tend to be shorter and smaller, and therefore have hand and wrist issues from trying to manipulate instruments traditionally designed for their male counterparts. She also finds it difficult to rotate the knobs on flexible endoscopes with one hand. "Just today," she says, "I was operating with an automatic stapler and couldn't rotate the device with a single hand, as it's designed to do. There was too much resistance." Thankfully, she says, companies are designing more ergonomic sur- gical tools, including various sized grips — to accomodate different hand spans (tip of the pinky to the tip of the thumb) and strengths — that can be attached to modular instrumentation. That means you don't have to buy an entirely new set of instruments for surgeons with smaller hands, says Dr. Sutton. The makers of ophthalmic instruments make extended versions of standard instrumentation for surgeons with large hands or thick fin- gers, points out Dr. Jarstad. He also points out that shorter ophthal- mologists can place microscope and phaco machine foot pedals on a raised platform so they're easier to reach. Keeping in shape Surgeons are very good at concentrating on the task at hand and ignoring the physical pain they're feeling. That attitude, thankfully, is changing. "We gear up for the surgery, much like athletes do for the big game, and decompress when it's over," says Dr. Jarstad, who visits a sports massage therapist and trains to handle the rigors of surgery. He's mindful to take care of his body through proper diet, regular exercise and rest. "I encourage other surgeons to do the same," he says. "Those things certainly helped to extend my career." OSM S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 0 7

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