PS9-03: VALIDATION OF A SYNTHETIC BOWEL MODEL FOR HAND-SEWN ANASTOMOSIS TRAINING CREATED USING 3D PRINTING
Kurun Partap S Oberoi, MD, Mark A Liotta, BE, Sandra D Cojocaru, BS, Devashish J Anjaria, MD, Melissa M Alvarez-Downing, MD, Aziz M Merchant, MD, David H Livingston, MD, Anastasia Kunac, MD; Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Background: Performing a hand-sewn bowel anastomosis is a critical skill all General Surgery residents should learn during training. Synthetic and porcine bowel have been used to help facilitate skill acquisition. Downsides to current models are cost, need for biologic waste disposal, and lack of validation. We aimed to create and validate an affordable bowel model using a 3D-printed mold.

Methods: A four-component mold was designed in CAD software and printed using PLA plastic. Liquid silicone was chosen to fill the mold due to its pliability and durability. Nylon mesh was added to the luminal surface to assist with visualization and suture retention.

Face and content validity were established using survey methodology. Faculty (n=9) and chief residents (n=7) in an academic surgery program were provided two segments of 5-inch 3D-molded bowel (3DMB), 3-0 braided suture, and instruments. Participants were asked to construct one- and two-layer hand-sewn anastomoses and complete a 7-item questionnaire graded on a five-point Likert scale.

Results: There was a one-time cost of $14.70 to print the plastic mold. Each 5-inch bowel segment costs $1.20 to create.

For face validity, participants rated our model realistic or very realistic for construction of a single-layer anastomosis (75%), construction of a two-layer anastomosis (50%), and overall feel of suturing (69%). Results for content validity are summarized below:

Conclusions: Our 3DMB can be used to teach residents to perform a hand-sewn bowel anastomosis. This prototype is a clean and extremely affordable alternative to currently available models that takes advantage of 3D technology in its creation.