How to make an aortic root replacement simulator at home
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How to make an aortic root replacement simulator at home Kasra Shaikhrezai1, Maziar Khorsandi2*, Edward T Brackenbury2, Sai Prasad2, Vipin Zamvar2, John Butler1 and Geoffrey Berg1
Abstract There is a paucity of low-fidelity and cost-efficient simulators for training cardiac surgeons in the aspects of aortic root/ valve replacement. In this study we addressed this training challenge by creating a low-fidelity, low-cost but, at the same time, anatomically realistic aortic root replacement simulator for training purposes. We used readily available, low cost materials such as lint roller tubes, foam sheet, press-and-seal bags, glue, plywood sheet, heat-shrink sleeving tubes and condoms as the basic material to create a low-fidelity, aortic root, training simulator. We constructed a multi-purpose, anatomically realistic aortic root simulator using the above materials, both time- and cost-efficiently, using the minimum of surgical equipment. This simulator is easy to construct and enables self-training in major techniques of aortic root replacement as well as in stentless valve implantation for trainees in cardiac surgery. Keywords: Education, Aortic root replacement, Aortic valve
Introduction It is recognised that simulation plays an important rôle in training surgeons and is a component of residency training programmes [1]. Due to the complexity of cardiac surgery, simulation technology in this field is not well-developed and the cost of most simulators remains a major obstacle for everyday use [2]. Aortic root surgery is technically demanding. One of the challenges of training residents to perform aortic root surgery is matching the trainee skills with case complexity [3]. Trainees may not obtain adequate operator experience and exposure to aortic root disease during a cardiac surgery training programme, simulation could offer a solution to mitigate this. In this study, we aimed to address this training challenge by creating a low-fidelity, low-cost but anatomically realistic, aortic root replacement simulator for training purposes. Review Materials and methods
A small flight briefcase (N = 1, $ 50.20, reusable) is the simulator casing. It can be carried easily and, when opened, is arranged from the surgeon’s viewpoint as in the * Correspondence: [email protected] 2 Department of Cardiac Surgery, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
operating theatre (Figure 1A). An oblique lint roller tube (N = 1, $ 0.60) is secured on a plywood sheet (N = 1, $ 9.70, reusable) as the simulator skeleton (Figure 1B). The tube is in a sponge working field. The root and ascending aorta are replicated by a rolled and glued foam sheet with two heat-shrink sleeving tubes (N = 2, $ 0.33, nonreusable), replicating the coronary arteries, attached to it (Figure 2). The aortic valve and the commissures are reproduced by a condom (N = 1, $ 0.70, non-reusable) and a ‘press-and-seal’ sandwich bag plastic sealer (N = 60, $ 2.6, reusabl
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