"Finger-Touch Approach" for Novice Microsurgical Assistants: A Simulation Study

Area of Science:

• Microsurgery
• Surgical Simulation
• Medical Training

Background:

• Microsurgical procedures require high hand-eye coordination.
• Surgeons' hands are often outside the microscope's visual field, impacting spatial awareness.
• The finger-touch approach (FTA) was developed to provide an additional proprioceptive reference point.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the finger-touch approach (FTA) in improving microsurgical performance and confidence.
• To compare the FTA with a conventional method in a simulated microsurgical task.
• To assess the impact of FTA on safety, efficiency, and psychological responses.

Main Methods:

• A simulation task replicating microsurgical suture-cutting assistance was designed.
• Junior residents (JR) and plastic surgery fellows (PSF) performed the task using conventional and FTA methods.
• Measurements included unintended contacts, time to field entry, and trajectory variability.

Main Results:

• The FTA significantly reduced unintended contacts in junior residents (p=0.003).
• No significant differences in performance were observed between methods for plastic surgery fellows.
• Junior residents reported higher comfort and interest in using the FTA compared to fellows.

Conclusions:

• The finger-touch approach enhances safety and psychological comfort for novice microsurgical assistants.
• FTA requires minimal instruction and no additional equipment, facilitating implementation.
• The technique is suitable for training programs and clinical practice for beginners.