A Qualitative Study on the Benefits of Tumescence in Cadaveric Dissection with Faculty & First‐year Medical Students at SHSU‐COM

Abstract

Hands‐on cadaver dissection is considered essential to the optimal education of future physicians, and the quality of students’ dissections has been directly related to their performance on national board exams. Some centers, however, have reduced or even eliminated cadaver dissections due to time constraints and safety concerns. To address such concerns while optimizing the benefits of hands‐on learning, we introduced tumescence into our first‐year anatomy lab. This involved the manual infusion of cadaver wetting solution into subcutaneous and interstitial tissue planes using a syringe and a blunt‐tipped canula. This technique was utilized by our students and faculty during the Clinical Anatomy course. A qualitative survey of students and faculty regarding the benefit, if any, of the tumescence was subsequently carried out and a thematic analysis of the responses was performed. The most frequent theme which surfaced in the survey was an increased ease and efficiency of dissection with the use of tumescence. In addition, the themes of separation, spaces, and planes, were common, reflecting in the respondents, an increased appreciation of tissue planes and relationships. The survey lent support to the conclusion that cadaver tumescence can improve the quality and speed of dissections safely, while increasing the appreciation of natural tissue planes.