Wearable technology helped assess postures in neurosurgeons during procedures to address fatigue and musculoskeletal disorders while operating, according to a study published April 19 in the Journal of Neurosurgery.
Ten neurosurgeons were included — five attendings and five trainees. They wore two wearable sensors that collected the average time spent in extended, neutral and flexed static positions.
Surgeons kept a static posture during 52.7% of active surgical time. During spine cases, the surgeons used an exoscope while standing and spent more time in a neutral static posture. During cranial procedures, surgeons switched between standing and sitting postures. Longer cranial procedures correlated with longer time in flexed and extended static postures.
Attending surgeons found spine procedures as more difficult than trainees, according to postoperative self-assessments. Trainees found cranial cases to be more difficult than spine procedures.
The attending surgeons reported feeling more stress and more stiffness in their upper body in cranial cases compared to spinal procedures.