Surgical application of MEMS devices

Recent advances in biological Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) have resulted in significant research being carried out to improve minimally invasive surgical procedures (MIS). Surgeons familar with MIS often complain of inadequate tactile and visual feedback. Hence, there is a need for better surgical instrumentation or procedures. This paper presents a survey on the applications of MEMS sensors in surgical instruments during in vivo diagnosis and treatment. Several applications of MEMS sensors are discussed. It is evident that MEMS can increase the functionalities of surgical tools and improve the performance of surgeons. MEMS sensors not only can help to reduce patient trauma, but also lower health care cost.