Simulation of Thermal Bowel Injury During Robotic Surgery Utilizing the Porcine Model

Abstract

Objective: Thermal bowel injury is an infrequent but serious complication of surgery. Training in the assessment and management of this injury might be enhanced through animate simulation. This article describes and assesses simulation of evaluation and management of thermal bowel injury during robotic surgery. Materials and Methods: With the use of a domestic pig, three degrees of thermal bowel injury were created and managed during robotically assisted surgery. An edited video clip of the model was assessed by 11 senior learners and 14 attending faculty members. The assessments included four key competencies and four domains of fidelity. A scale of poor, fair, or good was utilized for the assessments. Results: Human excisions, defects, and repairs—both anatomically and surgically—were simulated. Related to fidelity, the key competency of recognition of thermal injury was rated as fair by ∼16% of the participants. Conclusions: This porcine model for simulation of thermal bowel injury during robotically assisted surgery showed potential use for training purposes. (J GYNECOL SURG 34:74)