: Musculoskeletal symptoms and injuries adversely impact the health of surgical team members and their performance in the operating room (OR). Though ergonomic risks in surgery are well-recognized, mitigating these risks is especially difficult. In this study, we aimed to assess the impacts of an exoskeleton when used by OR team members during live surgeries. A commercial passive arm-support exoskeleton was used. One surgical nurse, one attending surgeon, and five surgical trainees participated. Twenty-seven surgeries were completed, 12 with and 15 without the exoskeleton. Upper-body postures and muscle activation levels were measured during the surgeries using inertial measurement units and electromyography sensors, respectively. Postures, muscle activation levels, and self-report metrics were compared between the baseline and exoskeleton conditions using non-parametric tests. Using the exoskeleton significantly decreased the percentage of time in demanding postures (>45° shoulder elevation) for the right shoulder by 7% and decreased peak muscle activation of the left trapezius, right deltoid, and right lumbar erector spinae muscles, by 7%, 8%, and 12%, respectively. No differences were found in perceived effort, and overall scores on usability ranged from “OK” to “excellent.” Arm-support exoskeletons have the potential to assist OR team members in reducing musculoskeletal pain and fatigue indicators. To further increase usability in the OR, however, better methods are needed to identify the surgical tasks for which an exoskeleton is effective.

中文翻译：

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手术团队成员被动手臂支撑外骨骼的评估：现场手术结果

：肌肉骨骼症状和损伤会对手术团队成员的健康及其在手术室 (OR) 中的表现产生不利影响。尽管手术中的人体工程学风险已广为人知，但减轻这些风险尤其困难。在这项研究中，我们的目的是评估手术室团队成员在现场手术期间使用外骨骼的影响。使用了商用被动手臂支撑外骨骼。一名外科护士、一名主治外科医生和五名外科实习生参加了会议。共完成 27 例手术，其中 12 例使用外骨骼，15 例不使用外骨骼。手术期间分别使用惯性测量装置和肌电图传感器测量上半身姿势和肌肉激活水平。使用非参数测试比较基线和外骨骼条件之间的姿势、肌肉激活水平和自我报告指标。使用外骨骼，右肩处于要求姿势（>45°肩部抬高）的时间百分比显着减少了 7%，左侧斜方肌、右侧三角肌和右侧腰部竖脊肌的峰值肌肉激活减少了 7%，分别为 8% 和 12%。在感知的努力方面没有发现差异，可用性的总体得分范围从“好”到“优秀”。手臂支撑外骨骼有可能帮助手术室团队成员减少肌肉骨骼疼痛和疲劳指标。然而，为了进一步提高手术室的可用性，需要更好的方法来确定外骨骼有效的手术任务。