PhD Thesis / Cardiac surgeons rely on simulation training to improve their surgical skills. The focus of this research was on creating a 3D aortic valve model for cardiac surgical skills training. The research was divided into four different stages including CAD model development, tissue testing using surgical tools, aortic valve model manufacturing and model evaluation.
First, the development of a patient-specific aortic valve model was carried out. The process involved heavily processing CT scanned data of the aortic valve to extract the geometric information via segmentation. Patient-specific models are critical for pre-operative planning and training. However, those models are not ideal for large volume quantities due to the high production costs and the extensive manual labour required to process the models. Therefore, another approach was chosen to produce a generic model that was more suitable for large volume quantities. The generic aortic valve model was developed using data obtained from the literature. The contribution in this stage was developing the methodology to reverse engineer patient-specific cardiac tissues. Additionally, a generic CAD model of the aortic valve was developed.
Second, to select suitable materials for the model, samples from biological tissues and polymers were tested using a surgical tool. The contribution in this stage was documenting the forces and displacements obtained from puncturing and cutting the samples using suturing needles and scalpel blades.
Third, the aortic valve model was manufactured using two approaches including AM and casting. The contribution in this stage revolved around the development of several moulds for casting.
Finally, evaluation of the model was done via an initial assessment session with surgical residents. Although the model was not evaluated in extensive training sessions, a plan highlighting the important elements to do that was included in this research. Thus, the contribution in this stage was developing the model testing plan. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Typically, surgeons use post-mortem human tissues (cadavers) and animal tissues for surgical skills training. However, those methods can be both expensive and limited in availability. Therefore, other non-biological methods are introduced constantly to provide viable alternatives. Those methods include producing models using 3D printing, virtual reality (VR) simulation and even using household items to create training models. However, to date, there is a lack of highly accurate representation of real tissues (fidelity) of most models for cardiac surgical training. The purpose of this research was to develop and manufacture surgical skill training tools for cardiac surgeons focusing on the aortic valve cardiac tissues. The research was divided into several parts including developing computer models using patient-specific medical imaging, developing a general training model and training models manufacturing. Also, the research included manufacturing materials selection process as well as plans for testing the training models in training sessions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/26275 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Bubshait, Hamad |
| Contributors | Wohl, Gregory, Mechanical Engineering |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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