Cost-reductive measures in laparoscopy: Tips and tricks for developing countries

Out of sheer economic necessity, several cost-effective measures have emerged around the developing world aimed at reducing the costs of laparoscopic procedures. Expensive disposable instrument usage is kept to a minimum, and ordinary materials at hand are modified to serve new purposes. By working around the limits and restrictions of the tools available in the operating room, the gifted surgeon can take the least expensive tool and perform a certain task better than others using expensive disposable instruments. This chapter reviews reported tips and tricks that will reduce the costs of consumables, and may help urologists in developing world bring minimally invasive surgery into their everyday practices.