Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) is a technique used for obtaining emergent control of life-threatening, non-compressible thoracic, abdominal, or pelvic hemorrhage (1). This abstract will detail a low-cost, ultrasound-realistic simulator for performance of the REBOA procedure. A major hurdle to widespread implementation of the REBOA technique has been the difficulty in obtaining adequate training analogues for development of competency among physicians (2). Currently, there is a paucity of literature and few commercially available simulators for REBOA training. Commercial simulation models for REBOA include high-fidelity simulators developed by Keller et al. (2), Prytime Medical (3), and Medalus (4). A low-cost, low-fidelity simulator has been proposed by Walsh et al. (5), however it lacks ultrasound compatibility. Performance of the REBOA procedure involves several steps. First, the provider must prepare a sterile field and cannulate the femoral artery with an introducer sheath under ultrasound guidance. The REBOA device is then passed through the introducer sheath to one of three target zones. Once positioned, the REBOA balloon is inflated until occlusion is achieved (1). Our simulator is constructed from a gelatin thigh analog with silicon tubing vessels connected to a clear plastic reusable simulated aorta. To create the gelatin thigh analog, two 30-cm sections of 0.5-in diameter silicon tubing are secured within an aluminum mold and embedded into a gelatin mixture. To create the gelatin, 50g of commercially available psyllium husk powder and 120g of gelatin powder (Commercial Knox Gelatin Powder(R)) are mixed in 1L of water and refrigerated for 12 hours prior to use. One of the two 0.5-in silicon tubing segments is connected to a 40-cm length of 1-in diameter rigid clear plastic tubing, which constitutes the aortic segment of the model. The aortic segment is then connected to a length of latex tubing with an in-line unidirectional manual pressure bulb to simulate pulsatile arterial flow. The other 0.5-in tubing segment is connected to an unpressurized reservoir to simulate non-pulsatile venous flow. To test the simulator, a 30-minute simulation session was conducted among 24 current emergency medicine resident physicians. Participants were asked to describe their knowledge of and confidence performing the REBOA procedure on a 1-to-5 Likert Scale before and after the simulation session. Confidence improved after the training, with a median confidence score of 1.0 before the session and 4.0 after the session. The results were evaluated using a Mann-Whitney U test which yielded a p-value <0.0001. Regarding cost, our model can be constructed for a total cost of $24. It is ultrasound compatible, provides life-like aortic pulsatility, and maintains anatomic functional accuracy. This project details the construction of a low-cost, ultrasound-compatible simulator for training physicians in the REBOA procedure. Our simulation session and subsequent review of participant data demonstrate that such a simulation exercise yielded measurable benefits in procedural skills and medical knowledge for the participants.
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