A feasible, low-cost, reproducible lamb's head model for endoscopic sinus surgery training

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 6; p. e0180273
• Main Authors: de Oliveira, Henrique Fernandes, Bollela, Valdes Roberto, Anselmo-Lima, Wilma Terezinha, Costa, Carlos Augusto Pires de Oliveira, Nakanishi, Márcio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 29-06-2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animal research models; Animals; Biology and Life Sciences; Committees; Data collection; Dissection; Endoscopy; Endoscopy - education; Endoscopy - methods; Feasibility; Feasibility studies; Internship and Residency; Legal medicine; Low cost; Maxilla; Medical personnel; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Methods; Models, Biological; Nasal surgery; Neck; Nose; Otolaryngology; Paranasal Sinuses - surgery; Patient safety; Patients; People and Places; Physicians; Reproducibility; Research and Analysis Methods; Sheep; Sinus; Sinuses; Skills; Standardization; Surgery; Surgical instruments; Training; Validation studies; Brazil; United States
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180273

To describe and standardize a reproducible, viable, low-cost lamb's head model for endoscopic sinus surgery training.
Otorhinolaryngology residents performed the following three endoscopic sinus surgeries using the lamb's head model: inferior turbinectomy, bullectomy, and maxillary antrostomy. Each student dissected 10 specimens before training these procedures on human patients, and the benefit of the animal model training was evaluated.
Nineteen resident physicians of comparable academic level participated in training. All participants agreed that the lamb's head model dissections improved their skills in using surgical and videoendoscopic instruments, 90% agreed that the dissections improved their confidence with respect to training in human patients, and all stated they would recommend the same training to future residents.
Lamb's heads have been used for training in endoscopic sinus surgery. However, no standardization of this training had been performed to ensure that it is a valuable tool for learning and skill-building. The standardized method described in this study increased resident physicians' skills and confidence before beginning their training on human patients. Moreover, our results demonstrate the feasibility of the model, considering its low cost and reproducibility.
Future studies with this model should be conducted to assess whether the resulting increase in skills prevents and reduces medical errors, increases patient safety, reduces surgical costs, and improves the quality of otorhinolaryngological care.