Effectiveness of Adjustable Self Retaining Retractor in Breast Cancer Surgery

Abstract

Krabi hospital has conducted mastectomy for women approximately 30 cases each year. Heavy workload and nurse shortages in operating room led to a need for developing an innovation to reduce the workload and to alleviate scrub nurses’ muscle pain during surgical operation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the adjustable self-retaining retractor in conducting mastectomy in Krabi Hospital. There were 30 breast cancer patients recruited between January – December 2012. Cases were randomly assigned into 2 groups: one operated using the new device and the other using original retractors. The results shows that the group operated with the new device had achieve better outcomes which included (1) reduction in the number of scrub nurses, (2) reduced operation time, (3) no identifiable complications from using the device, and (4) reduction of the scrub nurses’ muscle pain. Both surgeons and scrub nurses’ were highly satisfied with the device. In conclusion: the adjustable self retaining retractor is useful and cost saving in breast cancer operation; and the device can be adapted to use for other types of operation such as the surgeries of thyroid, liver, gallstone and peptic ulcer perforation.