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Assessment of simulated surgical skills in parabolic microgravity
Azhar Rafiq1, Timothy J Broderick, David R Williams
1Medical Informatics and Technology Applications Consortium, Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. arafiq@vcu.edu
Background:
During spaceflight crew health is paramount in the success of flight missions. The delivery of healthcare during flight requires crew readiness for medical and surgical response.
Methods:
There were 20 participants who were evaluated for accurate performance of 4 basic laparoscopic surgical skills (clip applying, cutting, grasping, and suturing) during parabolic weightlessness using an inanimate workstation aboard the NASA KC-135 aircraft.
Results:
Data indicate that motor skill performance decreased within the parabolic microgravity flight environment. Performance in parabolic microgravity flight included futile effort with an increase in number of tasks attempted and a decrease in tasks completed successfully.
Conclusions:
There is a decreased frequency of accurate task completion in parabolic microgravity flight, but it is not an obstacle to implementation of effective training for providing in-flight medical care. The data reveal that individuals perform basic laparoscopic surgical simulation with greater effort in microgravity following simulation training.
