Assessment potential of a new suture simulator in laparoscopic surgical skills training.

Background: The skills necessary for performing effective laparoscopic suturing are difficult to acquire; as a result, simulators for learning these skills are rapidly becoming integrated into surgical training. The aim of the study was to verify whether a new hybrid simulator has the potential to measure skill improvement in young, less experienced gastroenterological surgeons. Material and methods: The study included 12 surgeons (median age, 29 (27-38)] years; 11 men (91.7%), one woman (8.3%)) who participated in a two-day laparoscopic training seminar. We used the new simulator before and after the program to evaluate individual performance. Skills were evaluated using five criteria: volume of air pressure leakage, number of full-thickness sutures, suture tension, wound area, and performance time. Results: Air pressure leakage was significantly higher after than before the training (p=.027). The number of full-thickness sutures was significantly higher post-training (p<.01). Suture tension was significantly less post-training (p=.011). Wound opening areas were significantly smaller post-training (p=.018). Performance time was significantly shorter post-training (p=.032). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the assessment quality of this new laparoscopic suture simulator.