Surgical video systems.

Abstract

A surgical video system (SVS) is an integration of components used to perform minimally invasive surgery (MIS). In the operating room, an SVS consists of an endoscope, an attached video camera, a light source, a video processor, and one or more video displays. A single SVS can generally be used in any type of MIS procedure (e.g., general, orthopedic, urologic), provided that it is equipped with the appropriate type of endoscope. In this Evaluation, we tested seven systems from six manufacturers. We found that, on average, three-chip systems provide better overall image quality than one-chip systems. Three systems were judged as providing image quality slightly superior to that of all the other systems; however, the level of subjectivity involved in judging performance suggests that users should perform in-house trials before purchase. All the evaluated systems performed relatively well in performance testing, but most systems were rated Fair or Poor in several human factors and safety tests. In fact, only two systems did not receive any Poor ratings in the Light Source Safety Features tests. Although users bear much of the responsibility for ensuring that light sources are used safely, most manufacturers have not made simple design changes that would make unintentional misuse less likely. We would be more likely to rate systems that still exhibit these safety issues in the future as Not Recommended or Unacceptable.