Training of Tube Thoracostomy on Soft-Embalmed Cadavers According to Thiel and Dodge: What Do Experts Say?

Tube thoracostomy is one of the most important invasive procedures performed in many medical specialties for various indications.

A total of 13 experienced thoracic surgeons were asked to perform a single tube thoracostomy as a Bülau drain on a soft-embalmed human cadaver. The surgeons used a structured questionnaire with a modified Likert scale to rate the closeness to reality of the performed training on soft-preserved cadavers compared with standard performance on living patients. Two forms of soft embalming were available: Thiel's, in 2 cadavers; and Dodge's, in 2 cadavers. Six surgeons performed the procedure on Thiel embalmed cadavers, and the other 7 surgeons performed the procedure on Dodge embalmed cadavers.

The evaluation of the results showed a high degree of closeness to reality and a 100% recommendation rate of the training for both forms of preservation. No significant differences could be found between Dodge embalmed cadavers and Thiel embalmed cadavers.

The use of soft-embalmed cadavers was rated very positively by experienced thoracic surgeons while performing tube thoracostomy. The evaluation results showed a high degree of realism of both embalming methods compared with performing the procedure on live patients. Further studies are needed to perform a competitive statistical analysis comparing Dodge embalmed cadavers and Thiel embalmed cadavers.