Can open cholecystectomy be taught by cadaveric simulation?

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the current standard of treatment for surgical gallbladder removal as it has an overall improved post-operative recovery compared to Open Cholecystectomy (OC). This has resulted in the loss of exposure to surgical trainees and the associated technical skills and decision-making required to convert to OC. The aim of this study is to provide construct validity to the proposition that cadaveric simulation can be used successfully to teach and learn open cholecystectomy.

Methods: Participants (n = 25) were surveyed on a 9-point questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale to determine their opinion on cadaveric simulation as a tool for teaching OC.

Results: Overall respondents deemed the tool as highly translatable. There was no significant correlation in the responses between candidates versus tutors (P = 0.05, r = 0.51).

Conclusions: The outcome of the survey revealed that participants agreed that cadaveric simulation is a positive learning tool to aid in OC.