TOTBV-01: A NEW REVOLUTIONARY TRAINING AID FOR POWER SOURCE USAGE IN SURGICAL TRAINING
Tomonori Hada, Dr; McGill University

What problem in education is addressed by this work?:
Current available products for surgical training on the market are not cheap and mainly made of plastic (synthetic) or Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) which are not conductive and are highly combustible. Medical schools and training facilities are eliminating the practice of using animal parts (e.g. from pigs) in surgical training classes, because of ethical, cost, and infection problems.

Describe the intervention:
We developed a new Versatile Training Tissue (VTT) aid by using edible Japanese traditional vegetable, which is the bacterial free pad feels like human flesh. The elasticity, strength and texture have similar qualities to actual organs and it can be produced in any color and shape. The natural conductive surgical pad can be used with electrical scalpels or ultrasonic scalpels, the composition is consistent, it is non-flammable and will not pollute the environment.

Describe how this intervention could be applied at other institutions. Please specifically comment on identified barriers that could exist and how they could be overcome:
Not every institution has an electro surgical device, which is a limitation. However, it can be easily purchased or some simulation centers already have access to it.