112 An Innovative and Inexpensive Pork Ribs Model for Teaching Tube Thoracostomy

Abstract

Chest tube insertion is a common and often life-saving procedure. However, risk of procedural complications is highest among inexperienced operators. Commercially available task trainers can be used to acquire the basic skills of tube thoracostomy but these models are often expensive and not widely available. We sought to evaluate the use of a novel, cost-effective task-trainer model utilizing pork ribs compared to a current commercially available simulation task trainer (TraumaMan®) in terms of learners' perceptions and preferences. A group of 38 residents and practicing physicians were recruited for the study and performed tube thoracostomy on both simulation models in a cross-over design. All participants were asked to indicate their personal preference of model. Participants who had previously successfully placed a minimum of 3 chest tubes in live patients were also asked to compare their perceptions of each model compared with the “real life” experience of chest tube insertion. In total, 84% of participants (32/38, p<0.001) preferred the new porcine model over the commercially available task trainer. Of the participants who had previously inserted a minimum of 3 chest tubes in living human patients, all except 1 (15/16) either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that overall, inserting a chest tube using the porcine model was a realistic experience as compared to 8/16 for the commercial trainer (p = 0.0054). None of the participants perceived any ethical concern with the use of the pork ribs model. In conclusion, this study supports the validity of the porcine model as a cost-effective teaching tool for chest drain insertion. Participants in this study perceived the porcine model to be a more realistic experience and did not express any ethical concerns regarding its use. The low cost of this model makes it appealing and could improve access to procedural training in tube thoracostomy. Further study is required to evaluate if the use of this model could be associated with other tangible outcomes, such as accelerated acquisition of skills, fewer procedural complications, and improved learner confidence.