Compartment Syndrome Simulator

Diagnosis and treatment of lower-extremity compartment syndrome following traumatic injury is of particular importance in battlefield situations like Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which improvised explosive devices cause frequent percussive fragment injury to the legs. This sequela of injury is a significant source of morbidity among U.S. forces, causing the Trauma Consultant to the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army to state that proper treatment of compartment syndrome is the number one trauma need for deployed surgeons. SimQuest herein proposes to build the first simulation system to teach medical personnel recognition and management of compartment syndrome using top-of-the-line military, civilian and technological experts. The goal of this Phase I proposal is to initiate the process by which analysis, design, construction, and evaluation of a desktop immersion system for the teaching of compartment syndrome diagnosis and treatment can be implemented. Phase II will entail development and testing of features and a validation study for objective determination of transfer of training. Designed to augment SimQuest's PC-based open surgical skills simulator, SimQuest's compartment syndrome simulator will teach the skills necessary to identify and relieve trauma-based compartment syndrome within the time constraints of field medicine.