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.