Jamal Talaat Hamdi

Skin burn injury from light cables is a rare complication of laparoscopic surgery, but it can be severe and distressing for both the patient and the surgeon. A case report of skin burns due to laparoscopic light source is presented in this article, followed by an experimental trial to confirm the findings, and review of literature. The light source is usually connected to the camera to give adequate light inside the abdominal cavity for visualization of the internal organs, and hence, safe surgery. The light source should deliver cool light to prevent any burn from heat to skin or internal organs, but in fact, it is not usually cool and can reach high temperatures. Precautions and recommendations to avoid skin burns due to the light source are included. Surgeons should be aware of burns from light sources in laparoscopic surgery and take precautions to prevent them.

Robotic surgery started nearly 30 years ago. It has achieved telepresence and the performance of repetitive, precise, and accurate tasks. The “master–slave” robotic system allows control of manipulators by surgeon at distant site. Robotic surgical fingers were developed to allow surgeons to move them with accuracy through sensors fixed on surgeon’s hand. Also, haptic sensors were developed to allow transmission of sensation from robotic finger to surgeon’s finger. A complete system of a, 3D printed by a stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer, robotic surgical finger with haptic feedback system is proposed. The developed system includes a master glove that controls the motion of a 3DOF robotic slave finger while getting haptic feedback of force/pressure exerted on it. The precise control of the slave robotic finger was achieved by applying a Proportional Integral and Derivative (PID), fast and robust, control algorithm using an Arduino based hardware and software module. The individual joint angles, metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP), and wrist were measured using rotatory and inertial sensors respectively. The degree of movement for MCP, PIP, and Wrist joints were measured to be 0–86°, 0–71°, and 0–89° respectively. Motion to the robotic finger is mimicked by a glove motion requiring minimal learning curve for the device. The collected data for the slave motion is in good agreement with the master-glove motion data. The vibro-tactile haptic feedback system was developed to distinguish between three different materials to mimic human flesh, tumor, and bone. The master–slave system using robotic surgical finger with good simultaneous movement to surgeon’s finger and good haptic sensation will provide the surgeon with the opportunity to perform finger dissection in laparoscopic and robotic surgery, as it used to be in open surgery. 3D bio printing will make this process even cheaper with the added advantage of making surgical tools locally according to the need of the surgery. An ongoing work is to develop silicone based 8 mm robotic surgical finger with multiple type haptic feedback.

Background: Staphylococcus aureusand methicillin-resistantS. aureus(MRSA) are harmful bacteria in clinical settings and intensive care particularly. Honey was shown to be effective against a range of different bacteria and in low concentrations.Aim of Study: The aim of the study was to test locally available cheap honey on standardS. aureusand locally grown MRSA in the laboratory.Methods: Three samples of German honey were tested on agar plates in concentrations from 100% to 10% on standardS. aureussubsp.S. aureusATCC 25923. Then, they were tested on 20 specimens of locally grown MRSA specimens.Results: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) zones of honey on standardS. aureusranged from 27.4 mm to 24.5 mm without dilution, and from 3.7 mm to 1.9 mm in 20% concentration. The mean MIC zones of honey on MRSA specimens in full concentration ranged from 27.1 mm to 25.2 mm.Conclusion: The three German samples of honey were found to have good and effective antibacterial activities on the standardS. aureusand MRSA organisms. It is recommended that the use of locally available cheap German honey as an antiseptic on wounds will not only reduce the cost of antiseptics in the hospital but also ensures the speedy rate of wound healing and reduce the risk of hospital cross-infection with MRSA.