Development of a Haptic Model for Teaching in Reconstructive Surgery—The Radial Forearm Flap

Autor: Marco R. Kesting, Christopher-Philipp Nobis, Klaus-Dietrich Wolff, Florian Bauer, Nils H. Rohleder
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Simulation in Healthcare: The Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. 9:203-208
ISSN: 1559-2332
DOI: 10.1097/sih.0000000000000000
Popis: Objectives The great value of the radial forearm flap (RFF) for reconstructive surgery stresses the importance of developing effective teaching methods. Our aim was to develop a realistic anatomic model that concisely simulates vital surgical steps while offering a haptic and visual experience. It should be cost-effective, easy to use, reusable, and quick to set up. Materials and methods The development commenced by constructing a prototype presenting basic features. Together with photographic surgery documentation, it served as a blueprint for the advanced model. The flap-raising process was condensed into the 6 most important steps to illustrate the procedure concisely and chronologically. Results Our final version consists of polyurethane, and a customized forearm flexor muscle model serves as the basic structure. Diverse plasticizers give different degrees of hardness to mimic anatomic structures. Special didactic features of the model include a movable elastic ramus superficialis nervi radialis. The flap island is attachable/detachable by a patrix/matrix mechanism. The brachioradialis muscle is elastic and detachable, and the fascia antebrachii is additionally severable. Vessels can be disconnected, and the removable forearm skin features a wave-shaped incision for the flap pedicle. To investigate the didactic benefit of the RFF model, we used it in a teaching course for medical students. The group receiving teaching supported by the RFF model showed a statistically significant improvement of knowledge (P = 0.007) in comparison with the group solely receiving a standard lecture supported by surgery images. Conclusions In our opinion, the RFF model is an excellent compromise with regard to realism, didactic benefit, and cost-/time-effectiveness and has proven successful in the teaching of medical students.
Databáze: OpenAIRE