Toward non-living training models: A trainee-preferred and sustainable 3D-printed model in microvascular anastomosis

Various non-living models have been developed and showed their different characteristics for microvascular anastomosis training, but each has limitations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the training efficiency and the practicality of a novel 3D-printed model designed to address these shortcomings.

Sixty postgraduate students from the School of Stomatology were randomly assigned to either the 3D-printed model group or the chicken wing group to perform end-to-end anastomosis. After training, participants performed end-to-end anastomosis on the caudal artery of live rats to assess the training effect. Procedures were recorded and evaluated by two blinded experts using the validated Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) scoring system. A post-training questionnaire was also administered to gather participants' feedback on the models.

Compared with pre-training, OSATS scores improved significantly in both the chicken wing group (from 9.083 ± 0.736 to 22.330 ± 1.252, P < 0.000) and the 3D-printed model group (from 8.750 ± 0.880 to 23.080 ± 1.158, P < 0.000). However, the magnitude of improvement did not differ significantly between the two groups (mean difference in change: 1.083 ± 0.970, P = 0.290). In addition, the post-training questionnaire revealed that participants were more likely to recommend the 3D-printed model for microvascular anastomosis training (P = 0.013).

The 3D-printed model demonstrated a similar training effect to the chicken wing model for microvascular anastomosis. It can be considered a viable alternative to the chicken wing model in microvascular anastomosis training.