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Surgeons and Trainees Perfect Their Craft Using Lifelike Anatomy
Surgery Made SIMPLE:
WATCH TO SEE A VIDEO ABOUT THE PROGRAM visit: https://youtu.be/ Ah7gJ4Vgr-w
A URMC program using scientifically-fabricated artificial human organs and anatomy is now being used to create highly realistic simulations for surgical training, and may soon be widely used to rehearse complex cases prior to surgery. Called SIMPLE (Simulated Inanimate Model for a Physical Learning Experience), the program uses organs so lifelike that they even bleed when cut. The program is the brainchild of Ahmed Ghazi, MD, MSc, an assistant professor in the Department of Urology, and Jonathan Stone, MD, a Neurosurgery resident (PGY-7) who also holds a degree in biomedical engineering. Designing the organs involves converting images obtained from medical scans into computer generated designs and—with the assistance of 3D printing— constructing them with materials that can be poked, prodded, and dissected. “Very few surgical simulations are successful at recreating the live event from the beginning to the end,” says Ghazi. “What we have created is a model that looks, feels, and reacts like a live organ and allows trainees and surgeons to replicate the same experience they would face in the operating room with a real patient.”
ROCHESTER MEDICINE | 2017 – V1