UC San Diego

Physicians who perform colonoscopies are at great risk for developing Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSIs) due to the repetitive stress. Currently there is little literature in Ergonomic in colonosocpies and nearly none in ergonomic devices. Our group created a device called the ”EndoGrip” as a small device intended to assist physicians in manipulating the shaft and tip of the endoscope. This device went through several iterations of design and feedback and resulted in a prototype with two features increasing mechanical advantage. These features are the interior grip angle and exterior grip diameter. To prove the efficacy of the features, mechanical tests were performed. These resulted in a 45% increase in the gripping frictional force and nearly 200% increase in torquing force. Next, EMG studies were performed with the grip on a mock endoscope. These studies were done using the ACGIH’s TLV standard. These studies confirmed both the effects of the mechanical advantage of both the interior grip angle and outer grip diameter. However further studies with more subjects and prototypes with a higher coefficient of friction are necessary.