A Novel Pulsatile Excised Porcine Lung Model for Realistic Anatomic Lung Resection Training: A Pilot Study

To develop a novel porcine lung model with pulmonary artery pulsation for anatomic lung resection training that overcomes the limitations of traditional excised models, particularly pulmonary oedema caused by simulated perfusion.

Porcine heart-lung complexes were connected to a custom-made pulse generator to induce physiologic pulsation using pseudoblood. To reduce the pulmonary oedema, the pulmonary arteries were prefilled with microbeads to prevent parenchymal perfusion. Oedema prevention was assessed by measurement of lung weight over 20 min of pulsation. Eight surgical trainees performed lobectomy and vascular repair procedures using the model. Operative time and haemostatic proficiency were compared between the first and second attempts. Training effectiveness was evaluated via a questionnaire.

Microbead infusion significantly reduced pulmonary oedema, with a mean weight gain of 16.4 (7.0 g) versus 457.0 (72.3 g) in the controls (P = .027). All 8 trainees completed the training. Surgical time for lobectomy decreased significantly from 39 min 17 s (6 min 20 s) to 32 min 52 s (7 min 33 s) (P = .012), with all trainees showing improvement. In the questionnaire, 75% of the trainees rated the vascular manipulation as realistic, and all rated the training as beneficial.

This pulsatile porcine lung model was evaluated as a pilot study involving 8 trainees, and the findings should be interpreted accordingly. The model provides a reproducible platform for simulating pulmonary vessel dissection and haemostasis under pulsatile conditions.