Efficacy of Teaching the Gambee Suture Pattern Using Simulated Small Intestine versus Cadaveric Small Intestine.

This research aimed to ascertain whether simulants of small intestines (SSI) could be just as beneficial as actual cadaveric small intestines in instructing second-year veterinary students about Gambee suturing methods. The results found no discernible difference between the two teaching mediums, suggesting that synthetic models could serve as a useful alternative, especially in scenarios when cadaveric tissue is inaccessible.

Research Methods

• The researchers conducted a prospective, randomized, blinded study involving 59 second-year veterinary students. The students were split into two groups impartially, one studying through SSI and the other using cadaveric small intestine (CSI).
• Guidance and education were uniform for both sets, with the same experienced surgical instructor in charge.
• The teaching involved a verbal technique description, schematic diagram, and demonstration. Following this, students put into practice what they had learned, gaining supervised hands-on experience along with verbal feedback.
• A week post-training, three certified surgeons who were versed in surgical teaching assessed each student’s Gambee suturing technique using an equine CSI. Evaluation was based on a previously-validated rubric curated explicitly for surgical skills assessment.

Results

• Out of the total 59 enrolled participants, 55 could be evaluated; the remaining four were absent during the laboratory assessment. Of the 55 students, the SSI group constituted 26, while the CSI group had 29 students.
• The assessment results revealed that there was no significant difference between both groups in their proficiency to execute the Gambee suturing method on equine CSI one week following the session.

Conclusion

• The researchers concluded that the use of SSI for teaching the Gambee suturing technique is equally effective as using equine cadaveric small intestines. The implications of the findings suggest that in scenarios where cadaveric tissue is either unavailable or inappropriate, synthetic models could offer a viable alternative to keep the learning process uninterrupted.