Emergency medicine magnifying loupes

A magnifying loupe system has been evaluated for use in emergency medicine. Physicians uniformly preferred a Keplerian lens system over that of the Galilean lens system. The advantages of the Keplerian lens were its increased field of view and its brighter and clearer peripheral image. The Keplerian loupes allowed the physician to visualize the exquisite details of wound configuration and to perform wound closure using microsurgical techniques.

Influence of cutting edge configuration on surgical needle penetration forces

A standardized test for measuring the needle penetration forces has been developed that can be easily replicated in any laboratory. Using this test, conventional cutting edge needles utilized in the test produced lower penetration forces than reverse cutting edge needles. The lower penetration forces encountered by the conventional cutting edge needles imply that the physician should be able to handle these needles with more dexterity and precision than the reverse cutting edge needle.