Optimized surgical tool for pectus bar extraction

Surgeons on a daily basis improve or rescue human lives. Therefore, they should be provided with the most optimal tools so their skills are fully utilized. In this paper, we present such an optimized tool for surgeons who employ the Nuss procedure to correct pectus excavatum - a congenital chest wall deformity. The Nuss procedure is a minimally invasive procedure that results in the placement of a metal bar inside the chest cavity. The bar is removed after approximately two years. Surgeons have been reporting that the currently available tools for the bar extraction do not provide the most optimal functionality. Therefore, we have proposed an optimized and improved design of the tool for the bar extraction. The improved design tool is further analyzed using finite element techniques. Additionally, we have built a physical prototype to ensure that the new tool to seamlessly integrate with the bar and to further evaluate by the surgeons who routinely practice the Nuss procedure. In order to validate in the future the final design, we have manufactured wax models that will serve as the patterns in the casting process of metal prototypes. They should provide enough strength to withstand stresses present in the bar straightening process.