LOCAL NEWS

Origami Inspires BYU Student To Make Surgery Safer 

Jul 1, 2021, 6:40 PM | Updated: 7:44 pm

PROVO, Utah – Imagine driving through a storm without your windshield wipers. Your view is fogged up and obscured with water droplets. That’s what often happens to surgeons during laparoscopic surgery, a common way to operate. Using creativity, a Brigham Young University student is hoping to make surgery less risky. 

What was once child’s play, is now a passion for Jacob Sheffield. “As a kid, I would always make these designs and we would draw faces on them,” said Sheffield, a graduate student at BYU. 

From his closet in BYU student housing, and from the lab on campus, Sheffield hoped to solve a common problem in laparoscopic surgery, procedures performed through small metal ports inserted in short incisions in the skin.

(Used by permission, Laparovision)

When the lens of the laparoscope is obscured by tissue during surgery, it increases the risk of injury to the patient, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Most of the time, it has to be removed and cleaned, increasing operation time and blood loss.  “For a third of the surgery, surgeons actually operate with some kind of impaired vision,” Sheffield said. “That means it’s slightly foggy or slightly blurry but they’re not willing to pull the scope out completely.”

Jacob Sheffield, a graduate student at BYU, loved to play with origami as a kid. Now, it’s turned into a passion for making surgery safer. (KSL TV) (KSL TV) (KSL TV)

Applying origami principles to engineering, Sheffield worked to solve it. “Basically (it will) be a miniature windshield wiper, and this would allow us to have this whole piece that’s one single part,” he said.

A single piece means there’s no risk of the part of the device breaking off inside the patient. “You can deploy it out, wipe it, and deploy it right back in,” Sheffield said. A wiper blade cleans the lens. “Now you have this entire mechanism which snaps onto it and the whole piece is a single piece of metal, which is folded into the structure,” he said. And voila! It’s a tiny device that allows the surgeon to clean the laparoscope while it’s inside the patient. “This is a 10mm scope, and so the wiper on this is the size of my fingertip,” Sheffield described. 

A much larger version of Jacob Sheffield’s Laparovision device. (KSL TV)

He won the BYU Student Innovator of the Year award because of his invention. Now he hopes to take it into the real world to make surgeries safer for patients. 

Though there’s still a long way to go, Sheffield has created a startup to take it to the market.

“The idea of losing vision in a critical spot during the surgery, that can be life-threatening,” he said. Never foreseeing that folding and creasing as a kid could lead to this. “Oh, I never, no. It sparked this curiosity, and in the moment I never thought that origami, could lead to a practical application,” he said. 

 

 

 

KSL 5 TV Live

Local News

The judge in the case of Kouri Richens, who is charged with killing her husband with a fatal dose o...

Pat Reavy

Prosecutors seek gag order in Kamas murder case; defense wants woman in street clothes

Attorneys for a Kamas woman accused of killing her husband and then later writing a children's book aimed at helping families dealing with the sudden loss of a loved one are asking a judge to issue a gag order.

13 hours ago

...

Ken Fall

How good habits can lower your risk for the deadliest form of skin cancer

Utah has the highest rate of melanoma in the nation – more than double the national average. But if caught early, melanoma is highly curable.

13 hours ago

Provo River running high...

Andrew Adams

Provo River to run closer to flood stage as managers navigate runoff

City officials said they expected flows along the Provo River to be increased again next week as water managers continued to work through the spring runoff.

13 hours ago

Free Frazil Fridays Utah...

Cimaron Neugebauer

3 steps to enjoy a free Frazil on Fridays in Utah, Idaho, Nevada

Free Frazil Fridays: Grab a 12 oz. cup at a participating Utah, Idaho or Nevada location and fill it up with your favorite Frazil flavor.

2 days ago

Cottonwood High School begins a major redesign on the teen wellness center....

Shara Park & Cimaron Neugebauer

Cottonwood High breaks ground for teen wellness center

Cottonwood High School broke ground on a new teen wellness center, on Thursday. It's the first of its kind for the Granite School District.

2 days ago

FILE: Jay Schmidt shows the texts between himself and a scammer....

Matt Gephardt and Sloan Schrage

Fraudster impersonates Gov. Cox, asks for gift cards

A fraudster impersonated Gov. Cox, trying to swindle others into buying gift cards.

2 days ago

Sponsored Articles

Brunette guy in headphones playing games on his desktop computer...

PC Laptops

Looking For a New Computer? Use This Desktop Buying Guide

Choosing a new desktop computer can come with a lot of questions, so we created this desktop buying guide.

Portrait of happy boy playing and splashing water in the swimming pool...

Get Out Pass

Family Fun Activities in Utah You Have to Try This Summer

These family fun activities will entertain you all summer, so if you ever feel stuck in a rut wondering what to do, refer to this guide!

Woman IT specialist in elegant suit working on notebook computer in data center next to server rack...

Les Olson

Your Complete Guide to Outsourcing IT Services

This guide covers everything you need to know about the different benefits of outsourcing IT services to meet your small business needs.

diverse group of friends dance outside under string lights...

Lighting Design

5 Frequently Asked Questions About Outdoor Lighting

Read for the most frequently asked questions about outdoor lighting to help narrow the search for your home.

Stack of old laptops with dark background...

PC Laptops

Old Laptop Upgrades You Need to Try Before Throwing it Away

Get the most out of your investment. Try these old laptop upgrades before throwing it out to keep it running fast and efficient.

Happy diverse college or university students are having fun on their graduation day...

BYU MBA at the Marriott School of Business

How to Choose What MBA Program is Right for You: Take this Quiz Before You Apply!

Wondering what MBA program is right for you? Take this quiz before you apply to see if it will help you meet your goals.

Origami Inspires BYU Student To Make Surgery Safer