High-Fidelity Endovascular Simulation

Cost effectiveness and the role of the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in interventional radiology

“…First, increasingly sophisticated simulation training (ST) has been developed, which provide detailed real time audiovisual and haptic feedback. Simulation training has already been embraced by cardiologists (for arterial puncture and coronary artery catheterisation), neurosurgeons (for neurovascular procedures such as aneurysm coiling and stroke thrombectomy) and vascular surgeons (for renal, carotid and peripheral vascular procedures), 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 and ST has been explicitly incorporated into their curricula. ST allows the trainee to experience a standardised set of scenarios designed to cover a range of teaching points and embed useful skills in the most efficient way, without relying on random caseload in a particular centre, at a convenient time and setting conducive to learning, with objective and supportive feedback.…”

The Value of Simulation in Interventional Radiology

“…Together, these characteristics typically correlate with a simulation's "fidelity," a general term for how well simulation replicates reality. 12,13 Simulation ranges from low fidelity to high fidelity: while low-fidelity procedural simulation may use less realistic materials and may only convey basic components of a procedure, high-fidelity procedural simulators incorporate materials and designs to create a more sophisticated degree of visual, auditory, and tactile realism, akin to the previously described modern full-flight simulator. Optimal simulation fidelity is dependent on the skill level of the trainee, desired task to be learned, and available budget.…”

“…1). 12 An important aspect of high-fidelity simulation is the perceived tactile experience, or "haptic feedback," that accompanies it and whether it accurately reflects the tactile experience of performing a real-life procedure. Research in surgical simulation training has shown that advances in haptic feedback correlate overall with a more realistic training model, trainee skill acquisition, and improved translation to real-life performance.…”

Current State of Three-Dimensional Printing for Simulation Training of Interventional Radiology Trainees

“…Simulations can be categorized by fidelity, or degree of situational realism, anatomic accuracy, or physiologic replication [28]. Although high-fidelity models have been shown to significantly increase technical performance in a simulated environment [29], they are often of higher cost, limited availability, or if using animal or cadaver sources, raise ethical concerns [12,19,28]. The holy grail in simulation medicine is the ability to develop a reproducible, realistic, and inexpensive product, which may be refined via three-dimensional (3D) printing.…”