Darren Klass MBChB, MRCS, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Matthew Tam MA, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Stuart Williams MBCHB, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

John Francis Cockburn MBBCh, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Andoni Paul Toms MBBS, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

The aim of this study was to describe the changes in radiology trainee performance indicators after performing repeated procedures on a vascular interventional simulator.

This was a prospective cross-sectional study of 12 first year radiology trainees with no previous interventional experience. Each trainee was taught to perform a selective left renal artery catheterisation, on the vascular simulator (VIST™), using a standardised pre-defined technique. Over a 6 month period the trainees repeated the procedure several times. The recorded measurable endpoint included total procedural time, fluoroscopy time, and pre-defined errors.

12 trainees performed a total of 52 procedures (median 4, range 3-5). Two-tailed paired Student’s t-test was used to compare performance indicators from one repetition to the next. Mean procedure time of the first run was 16.6 minutes. The second run was 13.4 minutes (difference 3.2 minutes, P=0.005), the third run was 11.5 minutes (P=0.002), the fourth run was 12.4 minutes (P= 0.039) and the fifth run 9.8 minutes (P=0.010). Fluoroscopy times decreased from 10.7 minutes for the first run to 6.5 minutes for the fifth run (P=0.12). The mean number of errors per procedure varied from 1 to 3 (range 0-10) but there was no significant trend with increasing number of repetitions. Common mistakes included: inappropriate equipment selection and omitting steps in the procedure

Radiology trainees’ performance, measured by total procedure and fluoroscopy times, improves significantly with repeated use of a vascular interventional simulator. However this is not accompanied by an improvement in error rates.

Repeated use of a vascular simulator improves radiology trainees' performance and may be a useful adjunct in interventional radiology training.

Klass, D, Tam, M, Williams, S, Cockburn, J, Toms, A, Does Practice Make Perfect? The Effect of Repetition on a Vascular Simulator on Radiology Trainees’ Interventional Skills.  Radiological Society of North America 2008 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, February 18 - February 20, 2008 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2008/6007351.html