3D Printed microvascular clamps: A safe, cheap and effective instrumentation for microsurgery training

Abstract

Microsurgical training involves practice in ex-vivo models during the early learning curve and poor instrument handling by the inexperienced microsurgeons can cause damage to microsurgical instrumentation or clamps which is particularly costly. To address this, we demonstrate the development, design, manufacturing and application of three different types of 3D printed microvascular clamps in an ex-vivo simulation training model. This report provides evidence of a low cost and easily accessible device that facilitates the process of microsurgical training. The clamps were found to provide advantages akin to normal stainlesssteel microvascular clamps in training setting.