About the project
The team developed a high-fidelity, portable, modular and low-cost physical simulator for surgeons and non-surgical practitioners to learn and practice the treatment of jejunoileal atresia. They designed 3D-printed molds to cast models of the atretic bowel that look and feel realistic. Working with pediatric surgeons from the UBC Global Surgery Lab, their aim is to enable non-surgical practitioners in low-resource settings to learn the skills necessary to treat this congenital disease.
Need it is fulfilling
Jejunoileal atresia is a congenital defect where patients are born with a mechanical obstruction in the small bowel. The surgical treatment of jejunoileal atresia, a defect which occurs in approximately 1:1000 live births, requires highly specialized skills due to the complexity of the repair techniques. Yet, the disease rarity makes training opportunities sparse. The use of surgical simulators has been effective for improving performance in other surgical procedures. As such, they aimed to design a low-cost, modular simulator to enable comprehensive training in jejunoileal atresia repair techniques.
Team members
Ajay Banga, He/Him, SBME
Abdullah Mashat, He/Him, Department of Surgery
Daniel Kwon, He/Him, SBME
Ryan Yeung, He/Him, SBME
Clinical Partner
Dr. Shahrzad Joharifard from BC Children’s Hospital