Dang T, Annaswamy T M, Srinivasan M A
Laboratory for Human and Machine Haptics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Stud Health Technol Inform. 2001;81:97-102.
Performing epidural injections is a complex task that demands a high level of skill and precision from the physician, since an improperly performed procedure can result in serious complications for the patient. The objective of our project is to create an epidural injection simulator for medical training and education that provides the user with realistic feel encountered during an actual procedure. We have used a Phantom haptic interface by SensAble Technologies, which is capable of three-dimensional force feedback, to simulate interactions between the needle and bones or tissues. An additional degree-of-freedom through an actual syringe was incorporated to simulate the "loss of resistance" effect, commonly considered to be the most reliable method for identifying the epidural space during an injection procedure. The simulator also includes a new training feature called "Haptic Guidance" that allows the user to follow a previously recorded expert procedure and feel the encountered forces. Evaluations of the simulator by experienced professionals indicate that the simulation system has considerable potential to become a useful aid in medical training.
进行硬膜外注射是一项复杂的任务，需要医生具备高水平的技能和精准度，因为操作不当可能会给患者带来严重并发症。我们项目的目标是创建一个用于医学培训和教育的硬膜外注射模拟器，为用户提供实际操作过程中遇到的真实感受。我们使用了SensAble Technologies公司的Phantom触觉接口，它能够提供三维力反馈，以模拟针与骨骼或组织之间的相互作用。通过实际注射器增加了一个额外的自由度，以模拟“阻力消失”效应，这通常被认为是在注射过程中识别硬膜外腔最可靠的方法。该模拟器还包括一项名为“触觉引导”的新训练功能，允许用户跟随之前记录的专家操作过程并感受所遇到的力。经验丰富的专业人员对该模拟器的评估表明，该模拟系统有很大潜力成为医学培训中的有用辅助工具。
