Patient-centered oncosurgical planning with cancer models in subspecialty education

Patient-Specific 3D-Printed Low-Cost Models in Medical Education and Clinical Practice

3D printing has been increasingly used for medical applications with studies reporting its value, ranging from medical education to pre-surgical planning and simulation, assisting doctor-patient communication or communication with clinicians, and the development of optimal computed tomography (CT) imaging protocols. This article presents our experience of utilising a 3D-printing facility to print a range of patient-specific low-cost models for medical applications. These models include personalized models in cardiovascular disease (from congenital heart disease to aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection and coronary artery disease) and tumours (lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and biliary disease) based on CT data. Furthermore, we designed and developed novel 3D-printed models, including a 3D-printed breast model for the simulation of breast cancer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and calcified coronary plaques for the simulation of extensive calcifications in the coronary arteries. Most of these 3D-printed models were scanned with CT (except for the breast model which was scanned using MRI) for investigation of their educational and clinical value, with promising results achieved. The models were confirmed to be highly accurate in replicating both anatomy and pathology in different body regions with affordable costs. Our experience of producing low-cost and affordable 3D-printed models highlights the feasibility of utilizing 3D-printing technology in medical education and clinical practice.

Perioperative Nursing Role in Robotic Surgery: An Integrative Review

PURPOSE

Robotic surgery is an increasingly popular approach across surgical specialties in several countries. Nurses embedded in this highly-technological environment, however, could excessively center their attention to the robot, deviating their focus from the patient. The Perioperative Patient Focused Model is proposed as a theoretical framework to guide nursing perioperative care towards a patient-centered approach based upon 4 dimensions: Health System, Safety, Behavioral Responses and Physiological Responses. This review aimed to understand the role of perioperative nursing in robotic surgery according to the Perioperative Patient Focused Model.

DESIGN

An integrative review.

METHODS

The Whittemore and Knafl methodology guided this review. The following databases were searched: PubMed, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, Scielo, and LILACS. The keywords used were "Robotic Surgical Procedures" and "Nursing" and their equivalents in Spanish, Portuguese, and French, using the Boolean operator "AND," within the time frame of 2010-2021.

FINDINGS

A total of 1,695 articles were retrieved, of which 26 were retained for the final analysis. The majority (n = 17) were written in English, with a level of evidence between 4 and 5. The main actions performed by nursing professionals were retrieved in the Health Systems, Safety, and Behavioral Responses dimensions, focusing on the intraoperative and postoperative period. However, most of the patient's responses were presented in the postoperative stage, even after discharge. Encompassing these findings, a theoretical framework is proposed.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing professional duties are diverse within the course of robotic surgery. It is necessary to expand the Perioperative Nursing specialty towards an extended care, encompassing even the community settings.

Patient-Tailored 3D-Printing Models in the Subspecialty Training of Spinal Tumors: A Comparative Study and Questionnaire Survey

BACKGROUND

Training in the subspecialty of spinal tumors is challenging and less researched. The anatomic variations and complex relationship with paraspinal structures tend to be the main obstacle for the trainees in this field. Three-dimensional (3D)-printing technique has the advantage of individual customization and high fidelity, and can produce case-tailored models as auxiliary tools in medical training.

METHODS

The main parts of the study included case-based lectures with tailored 3D-printing models, evaluating their performances in a controlled examination and anonymous questionnaire survey regarding the trainees' opinion towards the tailored models. The examination was designed as case-based clinical analysis. All trainees were randomly allocated to the study group and control group, and the former group was additively provided a case-tailored model.

RESULTS

Thirty-six participants were recruited in this study, including 16 residents and 20 fellows. In the section of examination, there was significant difference in the aspects of describing the involvement of paraspinal structures and discriminating the relationship between the tumor and large vessels (P < 0.05), but similar in the aspects of surgical planning and relevant complications (P > 0.05). In the survey, most participants gave favorable responses to 3D-printing models in the aspects of understanding anatomic structures and relationship, inter-trainee communication, surgical planning, and enhancement of interest and confidence (50.0% to 94.4%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The 3D-printing model is a valuable tool in the training of new residents and fellows in the subspecialty of spinal tumors. It can facilitate the trainees' understanding of tumor anatomy, surgical readiness, and confidence as well.