Puncture proof retractable device

The purpose of this project is to develop a puncture proof surgical retraction device to aid in surgery, particularly abdominal/thoracic surgery. The client, Dr. Adam D Fox of the division of trauma surgery and critical care at Rutgers University School of Medicine asked for a surgical device to prevent common workplace needle stick injuries that occur during suturing due to the close proximity of assisting surgeon's hands to the suture needle. An additional requirement of the glove is to maintain maximum manual dexterity and increase retraction ability of the assisting surgeon as part of an ideal design. Existing solutions for puncture resistance, increased manual retraction, and sterilization techniques were researched and side-by-side comparisons were used to determine the optimal solution. The proposed reusable design utilizes a puncture-resistant SuperFabric® glove coated in latex with a webbed hand design between the second and fifth digits of the hand. This design best allows for adequate puncture prevention from the four suture needles commonly used in surgery while increasing manual retraction by means of increased surface area. Additionally, material selection and design allows for easily accessible sterilization techniques and conforms to the applicable FDA & OSHA standards for surgical gloves. Extensive testing and research was done to verify the optimal choices of design morphology and the client is overall very pleased with the design. Further testing and evaluation will be completed in the spring semester to verify the validity of the design before final device construction and delivery to the client.