Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair Simulator Equipped with Eye Tracking Based Performance Assessment Capabilities: A...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Medical Simulation
• Surgical Training

Background:

• Increasing cardiovascular diseases necessitate minimally invasive treatments.
• Physician training for these procedures faces slow adaptation, especially for complex interventions.
• Simulation-based training is crucial for safe and effective procedural execution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel mitral valve repair (MVR) simulator.
• To highlight its objective performance assessment methods.
• To evaluate its utility for training the MitraClip™ procedure.

Main Methods:

• Developed an MVR simulator with anatomical phantoms and realistic imaging (echocardiographic, fluoroscopic).
• Incorporated an eye tracker to record operator cognitive behavior.
• Conducted a pilot study with 9 experts performing the MitraClip™ procedure on the simulator.

Main Results:

• The simulator and its objective performance assessment methods functioned reliably.
• Key metrics like X-ray usage were comparable to real interventions.
• Fluoroscopy imaging realism was high for transseptal puncture but limited in later stages.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated the functionality and objective performance assessment of the MVR simulator.
• The simulator provides a suitable platform for risk-free training in complex procedures like MitraClip™.
• Enhances physician education and skill acquisition for minimally invasive cardiovascular interventions.