Development of a Tissue Oxygen Saturation Detection System for Improving Surgical Training

Abstract

Delicate tissue encountered in surgery is prone to ischemic damage from grasping and retracting especially by novice surgeons. Currently, there are no existing techniques to quantitatively assess tissue health during surgical maneuver. A transmission and reflectance mode tissue oxygenation (StO2) sensor was developed and integrated into a standard laparoscopic tool and custom forceps to continuously measure tissue oxygenation during surgery. Numerous wavelengths including 470nm, 500nm, 510nm, 560nm, 570nm, 586nm, 660nm and 940nm were tested in reflection mode while 660nm and 940nm were tested in transmission mode. StO2 sensor successfully detected oxygenation changes on the finger and during ex vivo experiment conducted on arterial and venous blood samples. StO2 sensor was unable to monitor changes when grasping small intestine and liver using surgical instruments. Various factors including lack of hemoglobin at the site of measurement, tissue thickness changes during grasps, and motion artifacts limited the use of this technology.M.H.Sc