constructing and assembling ultrasound phantoms using 3d printing, ballistic gel, and simulated vessels

Building Custom Ballistic Gel Ultrasound Phantoms for Nerve Block Simulations

Ultrasound phantoms - alternatives to live human tissue - give learners the opportunity to practice medical procedures, including ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA), without introducing undue risk to patients1. While most commonly manufactured via injection molding of liquid silicone rubber, custom phantoms can be homemade using versatile materials at lower cost. Organic tissues such as tofu, pork, and beef are inexpensive but spoil quickly and are challenging to craft2. Human cadaveric tissue is ideal for anatomic accuracy but is difficult and costly to obtain and preserve1. More recently, virtual reality has been used to provide UGRA training; however, haptic feedback is a key component of procedural learning and is rarely implemented. Even when a hardware-software hybrid model provides high visual fidelity and tactile feedback, the hardware and software required to carry out such training are frequently cost-prohibitive3. Gelatin-based phantoms strike a balance between cost, longevity, and fidelity2.
Ballistic gelatin models are available commercially but are expensive for a perishable resource that is highly utilized in medical simulation centers. Small, simple, gel-based ultrasound phantoms with homogeneous parenchyma and two or three simulated vessels retail for hundreds of dollars. For example, the CAE Blue Phantom basic ultrasound training block costs upwards of $8004. Higher-fidelity phantoms specific to individual nerve block procedures cost thousands of dollars. The CAE Blue Phantom femoral regional anesthesia ultrasound training model costs $5,000 (Table 1)5. To bring down costs, educators have experimented with custom-made phantoms using gelatin or other low-cost or reusable materials6,7,8. Additives such as flour, corn starch, graphite powder, and Metamucil can be used to opacify the gelatin and customize the echogenicity of the phantom, thus increasing its fidelity8,9,10,11,12,13,14.
Previous attempts at homemade gelatin-based nerve block trainers were either unable to adequately recreate the appearance of nerves under ultrasound or utilized perishable items, thus limiting shelf life15,16. Even without these drawbacks, previous iterations did not include relevant anatomical landmarks and fascial planes that would allow trainees to practice specific nerve block procedures. Here, we investigate the production of durable, low-cost, ballistic gel ultrasound phantoms for median, femoral, suprainguinal fascia iliaca plane, and serratus anterior plane nerve blocks, as well as a methodology for producing a phantom for any ultrasound-guided nerve block procedure.

Author Spotlight: Developing Cost-Effective and Durable Ultrasound-Guided 3D-Printed Nerve Block Trainers

Building Affordable, Durable, Medium-Fidelity Ballistic Gel Phantoms for Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Block Training

So we leveraged the latest technology such as computer-aided design and 3D printing to make custom, durable, ultrasound-guided nerve block trainers with relatively low cost materials. In doing so, we explored questions relating to the durability and cost effectiveness of nerve block trainers while maximizing the fidelity and accessibility of these trainers. Currently, medical educators and simulation centers must either pay thousands of dollars for hands-on nerve block trainers, or save money using perishable materials that spoil rapidly.Our nerve block trainers use affordable materials that last for months to years, all while simulating anatomy more accurately than other low cost simulators. Other attempts to create homemade nerve block trainers have generally involved perishable materials such as animal meat, which spoils quickly, or homemade gelatin, which grows mold within weeks, even with refrigeration. Our trainers last years with minimal maintenance and cost a fraction of the price of commercial trainers.We're working to develop these nerve block trainers for a variety of other procedures within the operating room in an emergency room. Additionally, we're using infrared tracking in a variety of software options to record metrics about how physicians perform these procedures so that we can analyze the results and try to correlate those to clinical performance.

Constructing and Assembling Ultrasound Phantoms Using 3D Printing, Ballistic Gel, and Simulated Vessels

Research

JoVE Journal

Medicine

Ultrasound phantoms - alternatives to live human tissue - give learners the opportunity to practice ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia without ...

Designing and Creating Silicone Molds and 3D-Printed Tissue Layer Models for Ultrasound Phantom Simulation