SILVER SPRING, Md., March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — SimQuest LLC,
a leading developer of technology-assisted education and training,
has developed the first platform for open-incision surgical
simulation, which will enable surgeons to practice open surgical
techniques with no risk to patients. The platform will allow
surgeons to practice their skills in an environment that allows for
errors and provide objective feedback on performance.
This is an important step forward in surgical training because
open surgery still accounts for the overwhelming majority of all
operations performed in the United States despite advances in
laparoscopic/minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Further, the current
generation of simulators falls far short of providing adequate open
surgical training. Simulation of open-incision surgery is
significantly more difficult than simulating (MIS) because the
surgical field and breadth of possible actions for open surgery is
considerably more diverse than for MIS.
SimQuest developed three important elements of the open-incision
surgical simulation platform with funding from the National
Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Technology Program
(NIST ATP) including simulation that allows for physically precise
real-time behavior of tissue; the Open Surgery Haptic
Device, a seven degree-of-freedom (7DOF) haptics interface; and
a tool chain similar to those used in computer games, which enables
surgical simulation training case scenarios and other content to be
created by teachers and trainers.
The NIST program enabled SimQuest to produce unique technology
that will enable real-time immersive virtual reality simulation of
open surgical procedures to become a cost-effective reality for
both training and surgical rehearsal. These technologies will have
a dramatic impact upon future generations of healthcare
practitioners by increasing patient safety; reducing reliance on
live tissue training (human and animal); and en
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