AANA Lab Course 907-Arthroscopic/Open Strategies - Hip Preservation-Intro to AANA_VirtaMed Hip Team_ Virtual Reality Education at AANA-John J. Christoforetti, MD

Intro to AANA_VirtaMed Hip Team_ Virtual Reality Education at AANA-John J. Christoforetti, MD

Pdf Summary

The May 8th, 2018 AANA Hip Workgroup meeting summarized VirtaMed’s 2017 progress on developing a hip arthroscopy simulator aligned with AANA training standards. The multi-disciplinary team including surgeons and educators reviewed the simulator’s components, training workflow, task details, metrics, and future development plans.<br /><br />The simulator training course follows a structured curriculum starting with cognitive pre-reads and pre-tests referencing the AANA Online Learning Center Lab Manual. Training covers patient positioning and preparation, portal establishment using fluoroscopy-guided spinal needle and wire (Seldinger) techniques, and guided diagnostic hip arthroscopy tours in both central and peripheral compartments. The diagnostic tour includes visualization and palpation of key anatomical structures and pathologies like loose bodies, labral lesions, and femoral head necrosis.<br /><br />Portal placement training focuses on anterolateral and anterior portals, emphasizing proper needle angles and avoidance of sentinel errors such as capsular or cartilage damage. Therapeutic interventions prioritized include loose body removal, labral repair, cam and pincer decompression, and synovectomy. The training uses stepwise approaches with video instruction, simulated hands-on practice, and metrics capturing time, accuracy, cartilage damage, and instrument path lengths.<br /><br />Clear metrics and sentinel errors are defined to assess proficiency; sentinel errors like inadequate traction or iatrogenic cartilage damage require course repetition. Simulator limitations identified include lack of capsular tissue and limited haptic feedback, with plans to model capsulotomy and extracapsular spaces. Fluoroscopy simulation enhancements are proposed to better mimic clinical imaging.<br /><br />Future work aims to refine anatomy accuracy, diagnostic tours per AANA standards, marking and guided portal placement on physical models, and implementation of advanced therapeutic procedures such as labral repair. Comprehensive reference materials including videos and images for anatomy, portals, diagnostics, and interventions are being compiled for integration.<br /><br />In summary, VirtaMed’s collaboration with AANA focuses on enhancing realistic hip arthroscopy simulation with validated metrics and training tasks to improve surgeon procedural skills and patient safety.

Keywords

VirtaMed

AANA

hip arthroscopy simulator

training standards

portal placement

diagnostic hip arthroscopy

therapeutic interventions

simulation metrics

sentinel errors

fluoroscopy-guided techniques