Broward Health Medical Center, home to the Broward Health Graduate Medical Education Simulation Lab in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has become the first United States medical institution to receive the VirtaMed LaparoS™ surgical training simulator. This mixed reality laparoscopic simulator provides resident doctors with a simulated environment to prepare for clinical practice safely and efficiently.
Broward Health will use the LaparoS for general surgery training with an emphasis on patient safety. First installed in June 2021, the LaparoS has left an impression on residents and professors alike.
“We chose the LaparoS because it offers our residents a more realistic simulation of what they will encounter in the operating room,” said Dr. Ivan Puente, General Surgery Program Director at Broward Health Medical Center. “We feel very strongly that this will not only enhance their skill development and also contribute to patient safety.”
The LaparoS training simulator is from VirtaMed, the world leader in medical simulation training. In contrast to other forms of medical training with simulators, LaparoS training modules capture the whole procedural preparation, including positioning of the patient and placement of tools.
The simulator offers real-time learning in the form of haptic feedback, complication training and guided procedures.
“Simulation is a great way to enhance medical skills,” says Kimberly Mazili, Business Development Manager for VirtaMed. “Broward Hospital Medical Center has already had years of success with our orthopaedics simulator. It was a logical step for Broward to be the first to get our new LaparoS so they could extend the capacity of their simulation center and their residency programs.”
Providing comprehensive training with medical simulation technology
Broward Health has a long history of using simulation to train its next generation of surgeons. Medical students at Broward Health Medical Center have access to a medical skills simulation lab with a variety of simulators, including the VirtaMed ArthroS™ simulator for arthroscopic skills training. The addition of the LaparoS expands the resources available for skills development in a risk-free training environment.
In the spirit of advancing medical education, Broward Health Medical Center hosted a VirtaMedEd training day for residents in general surgery, orthopedics and gynecology. Using simulators supplied by Broward Health’s Simulation Center and VirtaMed, the training day provided residents with an opportunity to practice instrument usage and specific procedures in a risk-free training environment.
For more information on simulation training for laparoscopic procedures, visit here.