By TAKAHIRO TAKENOUCHI/ Staff Writer
January 6, 2023 at 12:10 JST
The tip of an endoscope is warmed up in a cylindrically shaped pack to remove moisture. (Provided by Kiyokazu Nakajima, a specially appointed professor at Osaka University)
OSAKA—Materials found in common disposable hand-warming packs can help surgeons improve efficiency and save costs when they perform even the most delicate of operations, researchers said.
The scientists from Osaka University and a private company came up with a way to use the iron powder contained in the heat packs to address a problem that has bothered surgeons for years: condensation formed on the lens of an endoscope.
The lens, measuring between 5 and 10 millimeters in diameter, serves as the eyes of the doctor during surgery when it is inserted into the patient’s body.
The endoscope is typically removed at least 30 times during a long operation for cleaning. But the lens also becomes fogged up when it is 3 to 4 degrees lower than the body temperature.
This can occur multiple times during a surgery.
To remove the moisture, the lens is typically warmed up with a non-reusable device that costs nearly 10,000 yen ($75) or in a saline solution contained in a sterilized thermos.
The solution must be replaced after each warming.
Kiyokazu Nakajima, a specially appointed professor at Osaka University who is also an endoscopic surgeon, thought about using disposable hand warmers, which are cheap and can stay warm for a long time, to get around the cumbersome and expensive process.
He teamed up with Daiei Co., an Osaka-based medical supply manufacturer, and conducted tests on the iron powder.
After checking if the powder could leak outside and damage the lens, they developed a heat pack exclusively for endoscopes.
The tip of the endoscope can be warmed repeatedly within the pack’s cylindrical shape. A surfactant applied to the pack can be used to clean the lens.
One pack costs between 1,000 yen and 1,500 yen.
They are already used for surgeries at Osaka University Hospital.
Nakajima said he hopes the packs will also provide a low-cost solution in developing countries, where endoscopic surgeries are increasingly performed.
“I hope it becomes widespread across the world as a device uniquely developed in Japan,” he added.
VOX POPULI: Out of the realm of sci-fi, human hibernation an intriguing notion
December 10, 2022
This adorable robot therapy seal helps relieve anxiety, stress
December 16, 2022
Japan ranks far behind other G-7 nations in field of COVID research
November 6, 2022
Sony to begin sales of machine that could help detect dementia
October 6, 2022
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
