Physics-Based Simulator to Teach Hands-On Vascular Surgical Skills

描述（由申请人提供）：SimQuest LLC提议开发一种基于物理学的血管手术技能培训模拟器，该模拟器将克服目前经验性开放血管手术培训中的缺点。这与NHLBI的使命相一致，即促进研究成果的应用，并利用资源来满足公共卫生需求，在这种情况下，就是病人的安全。当模拟器完成时，用户将能够练习血管吻合，直到他们被证明熟练。他们将站在手术台上，观看患者解剖结构的立体显示，他们使用实际的手术工具进行操作，并在手术过程中遇到与真实的生活相同的皮肤和血管阻力--SimQuest在联邦资助下开发的先进生物组织和缝合材料特性以及低成本触觉技术使这种效果成为可能。第二阶段项目的第一个目标是继续建立一个框架和过程，为外科，学术和学习科学支持这种最终用户驱动的模拟开发及其验证。这将包括继续与血管外科教育和认证领域的领导者建立联系;让学习科学家和经验丰富的外科培训师决定、审查和验证目标、指标和教学内容;让这些专家参与整个迭代设计过程;以及对概念进行基准测试和验证。第二个目标是创建虚拟现实模拟器，其中包括模拟手术所需的技术组件;整合指标;使用户能够在血管和缝合吻合的手术处理中犯错误并从中恢复;以及构建、测试和完善原型。最终目标是验证 课程/模拟器原型使用由权威学术资源指导的科学验证方法。拟议的项目将包括必要的研究，以在开源平台上为所有开放血管手术提供培训，并将提供端对端吻合的示范手术。这可能使其在临床上对许可和认证机构有用。来自所有参与血管外科培训、教育和认证的美国国家协会领导层的支持信证明了该项目对手术技能获取、熟练程度记录、认证和患者安全的重要性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): SimQuest LLC proposes to develop a physics-based vascular surgery skills training simulator that will overcome current shortcomings in experiential open vascular surgery training. This dovetails with the mission of the NHLBI to promote application of research results and leverage resources to address public health needs, in this case, patient safety. When the simulator is complete, users will be able to practice vascular anastomosis until they are shown to be proficient. They will stand as they would at an operating table, view a stereo display of patient anatomy, which they manipulate using actual surgical tools, and encounter the same resistance of skin and vessels during the procedure that they would in real life - effects made possible by advanced, biofidelic tissue and suture material properties and low-cost haptics technology developed by SimQuest with federal funding. The first objective of this Phase II project is to continue to establish a framework and process for surgical, academic, and learning sciences' support for this end-user-driven simulation development and for its validation. This will include continued networking with leaders in vascular surgery education and certification; having learning scientists and experienced surgical trainers dictate, review and validate the goals, metrics, and didactic content; involvement of these experts throughout the iterative design process; and benchmarking and validation of concept. The second objective is to create the virtual reality simulator, which includes the technical components required to simulate the procedure; integrate the metrics; make it possible for users to make and recover from errors in surgical handling of vessels and suture anastomosis; and build, test, and refine the prototype. The final objective will be to validate the curriculum/simulator prototype using state-of-the-science validation methodologies directed by an authoritative academic resource. The proposed project will encompass the necessary research to provide training for all open vascular procedures on an open-source platform and will provide the exemplar procedure of end-to-end anastomosis. This will potentially make it clinically useful to licensing and accreditation bodies. Letters of support from the leadership of all the US national societies involved in vascular surgery training, education, and certification are a testament to the importance of this project to surgical skill acquisition, documentation of proficiency, certification, and patient safety.