Coordinating two hand instrument movements during laparoscopic surgery is a skill that should be learned on a model first, and used inside a patient. Pelvitrainers and virtual laparoscopic surgery systems are available in the market. But they are expensive. The lowest priced model costs 20000/- rupees. We are not exactly poor in this institute, but there are many things to be purchased, and the waiting period is long. So I decided to build a pelvitrainer myself.
The equipment cost us Rupees 5300/- only, which is a quarter of the cost in market. The happiness of designing and making it was a bonus.
- I took a wooden box that used to house a microscope before. Even a plastic container measuring 1.25'X1'X1' will do. The box had a lid opening on one side, which was useful for fitting parts inside. I painted the inside of the box white. I painted its outside with a polymer polish to make it look better, but it could be optional.
- At one end I drilled a hole and put in a 3-pin power cord. I connected it to a holder for CFL bulb to it and fitted the holder to the center of that side of the box from inside.
- I fitted a closed circuit camera (Rupees 800/-) to the inside of the top of the box. I made a hole in the side of the box and put the cables for the camera through it. The camera had a power cable through an adapter so that it would run on mains.
- I drilled holes for accessory ports for operative instruments on the top of the box, three on each side and one in the center.
- I cut 7 pieces of rubber mat, made 5 mm wide holes in their centers, and pasted them over the drill holes for the accessory ports. They would prevent wobbling of the instruments when passed through the holes for manipulation.
- I connected the output video cable of the camera to a 14" color television set (Rupees 4000/-)
