Assessment of Ergonomic Surgical Intervention Table (E-SIT) for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Within Interventional Cardiology, procedures (diagnostic, interventions, and surgical) have free-standing tables behind the operators holding materials (catheters, wires, etc.) while the operators face the procedure table. This workflow setup requires operators to perform 50-100+ turns to access materials. This can lead to repetitive awkward turning motions that can lead to ergonomic issues like localized fatigue and Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) in the back, and neck. Space constraints impact workflow and may exacerbate WMSDs. An Ergonomic Surgical Instrument Table (ESIT) will be attached to the procedure table, positioned over the patients’ body as a work environment and workflow intervention. The primary aim of this work is to evaluate the workflow and ergonomic impacts of the ESIT intervention with the hypothesis that the ESIT will allow for direct tool access, improved workflow, reduced turning, and improved ergonomics.

To evaluate workflow and ergonomic changes pre- and post-intervention, the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure was chosen due to it being relatively standardized and low-risk. Around 15 operators of the TAVR procedure in the Mayo Clinic Catheter Lab will be recruited. Each operator will be evaluated for six procedures minimum using the existing workflow setup, and for same number of procedures with the interventional workflow setup after a period of acclimatization. To evaluate workflow and ergonomics, postural data will be collected using an array of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), movement patterns and workflow task-analysis will be evaluated using video recordings, and perceived workload and workflow will be collected using a self-reported survey.