Training Surgical Residents With a Haptic Robotic Central Venous Catheterization Simulator

Area of Science:

• Medical Simulation
• Surgical Training
• Medical Device Development

Background:

• Central venous catheterization (CVC) has complication rates of 5-21%.
• Current training manikins lack anatomical variations like obesity or abnormal vessel positioning.
• Effective simulation is needed to improve CVC procedural safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a virtual reality (VR) and force haptic simulation platform for ultrasound-guided CVC.
• To assess the platform's effectiveness in training surgical residents on right internal jugular vein cannulation.

Main Methods:

• Developed a VR CVC simulator using a haptic robotic arm, 3D position tracker, and computer visualization.
• Simulated needle insertion forces based on cadaver data and used a mock ultrasound device for realistic feedback.
• Trained 13 first-year surgical residents over three months, evaluating performance via a graphical user interface.

Main Results:

• Participant performance improved from 52% to 96% on a baseline scenario, nearing expert surgeon scores (98%).
• Demonstrated a 61% reduction in needle tip deviation from the vein center.
• Reduced mean insertion attempts from 1.92 to 1.23 and increased syringe aspiration time by 12%.

Conclusions:

• A VR haptic robotic simulator for CVC was successfully developed and validated.
• Surgical residents achieved near-expert proficiency after three training sessions.
• The system shows potential as an effective tool for CVC training and improving patient safety.