Saturated Salt Solution Cadaver-Embalming Method Improves Orthopaedic Surgical Skills Training

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Anatomical Sciences
• Medical Education

Background:

• Human cadaver training offers high-fidelity surgical simulation.
• Embalming preserves cadavers but can alter tissue properties.
• Evaluating embalming methods is crucial for maintaining training quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate three embalming methods: formaldehyde, alcohol-glycol, and saturated salt solutions.
• To compare their effectiveness in preserving cadaveric specimens for orthopaedic surgical skills training.
• To assess the impact of embalming on tissue fidelity, joint mobility, and suitability for training.

Main Methods:

• Three cadavers were embalmed using each of the three solutions.
• Joint range of motion and stiffness were measured.
• Orthopaedic surgeons assessed tissue fidelity, odor, and suitability using Likert scales.
• Microbial cultures were obtained from muscle tissue.

Main Results:

• All embalming methods prevented putrefaction over a 2-week training period.
• Saturated salt solution cadavers exhibited superior joint motion and tissue fidelity.
• Surgeons rated saturated salt solution cadavers significantly higher in all assessed domains (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Saturated salt solution is an effective, inexpensive, and logistically simple embalming method.
• This method preserves cadavers at room temperature for high-fidelity orthopaedic surgical skills training.
• It offers significant advantages over formaldehyde and alcohol-glycol solutions for surgical training preservation.