Rawson Retractor System (RRS): BRiMS

Student Team

Master of Engineering: Chloe Gilder, Mohan Xu, Dhakshenan "Dhak" Pushparajan, Mahalakshmi (Maha) Pattabiraman
Undergraduates: Elizabeth Martynenko, Lydia Foster, Abraham Alkhatib, Haozhen Dong

Laparotomies are surgical incisions commonly used to gain access to the abdominal cavity during a variety of operations. These are especially useful in many colorectal procedures after devices such as laparoscopic or robotic suites are used, and bowel must now be resected and removed. Laparotomies are also indicated in situations where major adhesiolysis, infection, and hemorrhage may obscure the view to the degree of limiting the usefulness of laparoscopic tools, such as a major abdominal trauma. Although useful in many such situations and surgical procedures, the limited aperture of the incision creates a cavern-like effect, only allowing direct beams of light from the overhead lamps to penetrate through the opening. The purpose of this project is to develop a wound retractor for laparotomies which emphasizes optimizing the visuals of the surgical field, ergonomics of retraction, and enhances the ease of surgery. The solution proposed would use a single enhanced and lighted wound retraction apparatus with an inbuilt battery and circuitry allowing for complete independence.