A 3D printed suturing trainer for medical students.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Skills Training
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Competent suturing skills are essential for graduating medical students.
• Effective practice materials are crucial for learning suturing techniques.
• Traditional training media include porcine feet and sponges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel suturing trainer using 3D printing and silicone casting.
• To evaluate the realistic simulation and accessibility of this new trainer.
• To compare the novel trainer against standard suturing practice materials.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of senior medical students participated in a standardized suturing workshop.
• Students evaluated the novel silicone trainer, porcine feet, and sponges.
• Evaluation criteria included simulation of tissue layers, texture, and performance of various suturing techniques (interrupted, running subcuticular, knot tying).

Main Results:

• The novel suturing trainer received significantly higher scores (p < 0.001) for simulating human tissue layers and texture.
• The trainer demonstrated superior performance in facilitating interrupted suturing, running subcuticular suturing, and knot tying practice.
• All participants preferred the silicone trainer, with 92% believing it would improve their skills.

Conclusions:

• The developed silicone suturing device offers a more realistic and accessible learning experience than porcine feet and sponges.
• This novel trainer shows promise for enhancing suture technique acquisition in medical education.
• Further validation is needed to assess the long-term effectiveness of the silicone suturing trainer.