Preliminary Study of a High-Fidelity Simulator for the Management of Paediatric Tracheal Pathologies

In the biomedical field, high-fidelity simulation plays a fundamental role for medical and surgical staff as it allows them to simulate real scenarios from everyday clinical practice. The availability of patient-specific pathological models allows doctors to simulate surgical procedures before entering the operating room, thus reducing the risks associated with surgery. Such models are also employed in medical training to enhance the experience of trainees by confronting them with possible real-life emergency scenarios. To obtain a strict correspondence between simulator and reality - both in terms of geometry and haptic feedback - important decisions must be taken from the beginning of the design phase. High fidelity is a fundamental requirement of the simulators, since the design phase of the anatomical model, for what concerns geometries and materials. In this paper, a preliminary study for the development of a paediatric tracheal simulator is presented. This study is focused on the definition of some general geometric parameters and of the material composing the simulator. Mechanical characteristics of the trachea are investigated to identify a set of materials able to reproduce a realistic haptic feedback of the simulator. Materials are chosen in relation with the technological process that will be used for the simulator manufacturing: additive manufacturing or mould casting. To test the various materials, specimens are created and submitted to the judgement of a specialized medical team. The results showed Shore 40A silicone with a 1.75 mm wall-thickness value to be the best compromise for reproducing the haptic feedback of the trachea.