Currently submitted to: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Apr 28, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Apr 30, 2026 - Jun 25, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Enhancing Cardiac Surgeons’ Ergonomics: Minimizing Neck Movement During Surgery Using Micro-Monitors
ABSTRACT
Background:
During cardiovascular surgery, surgeons frequently extend their necks to view monitors. This frequent and repetitive motion can lead to cervical spine discomfort, fatigue or injury.
Objective:
We designed a study first to examine the significance of cervical ergonomics and then proposed a practical solution to address it effectively.
Methods:
Five different techniques were tested for accurately and specifically counting the number of neck extensions during surgery. the parameters above. The light sensor technique proved to be ideal method and was chosen for this purpose in 10 different surgical cases. Next, a device was designed to minimize the need for neck extensions by projecting the image of the monitor to a micro-monitor mounted on the surgical loupes that mirror the hemodynamic data monitor directly in front of surgeon’s eye.
Results:
During routine heart surgery, a surgeon extended the neck to look at the monitor in a range of 7-19 times in a coronary surgery and 12-47 times in a valve surgery in our series. Duration of the extensions are often as short as 2-3 seconds, during which the monitor data is read and then the neck is flexed to lo look back at the field.
Conclusions:
During heart surgery, especially valve surgery, the number of neck extensions can reach a high value. The large number of these movements may potentially cause fatigue, injury, or health issues in heart surgeons. Using a micro-monitor with data transfer option can eliminate the need for neck extension during heart surgery.
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