anyone know where I can find how much force suture needle holders exert?

General Questions
#1

I’m working on a design project for school, and this is something that we’d like to know. I’ve tried literature searches, but this doesn’t seem to be a pressing (no pun intended) topic on the research front.

I’ve tried calling surgical instrument manufacturers, but I keep getting sales reps, and they’re no help (no offense intended to any Dopers who may be sales reps).

Our group is working on building a sensor to make the measurements ourselves, but none of us is an instrumentation wiz. So, can anyone in the medical business point me in the right direction?

#2

I know you’d prefer to actually measure it directly but why don’t you try and calculate it based on the amount of force required to close the holder?

#3

Can you explain what a “suture needle holder” is? That might help.

#4

Here’s a small selection of needle holders for rsa.

I like Truth Seeker’s idea. You should be able to rig up a couple of weight scales from fishing to each of the finger loops. Then just use standard lever arm calculations to figure the force at the other end. The flex of the arms shouldn’t affect things too much. Of course, you have to decide exactly where on the jaw - the force will vary a good bit as you move further from the box joint.