Current Research Projects-Simulated Tissue

Will Low-Cost, Disposable, Simulated Tissues Replace High-Cost Virtual Reality Surgical Trainers?
Allan Hamilton MD, Mohamad Salkini MD, Alyson Knapp BS

Medical Simulation Training (MST) is heading down two very divergent paths: a high-tech, high-cost one and the other lowtech, low-cost. While the former has received the largest attention to date from both bio-industry and the medical professions, we believe low-tech, low-cost biosynthetic tissues (BSTs) will find an enormous niche in MST.

ASTEC has been developing a line of inexpensive, high-fidelity BSTs and has employed them in training more than 300 individual medical students, residents, and faculty to date in minor surgery (e.g., IV insertion, arterial catheterization, subclavian line, umbilical artery catheterization, trans-femoral sheath placement), laparoscopic surgery (e.g., tumor removal, hysterectomy), and neurovascular surgery (e.g., external-internal carotid bypass, carotid endarterectomy).

View a PDF of the poster presented at the 7th Annual International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare.