• Yifan Bu, Aidan Sharkey, Ruma Bose, Taha Abdul Rehman, Shirin Saeed, Adnan Khan, Rayaan Yunus, Feroze Mahmood, Robina Matyal, and Sara Neves.
• Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
• J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. 2023 Sep 1; 37 (9): 181318181813-1818.

AbstractSimulation-based training is an essential component in the education of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Nevertheless, current TTE teaching methods may be subject to certain limitations. Hence, the authors in this study aimed to invent a novel TTE training system employing three-dimensional (3D) printing technology to teach the basic principles and psychomotor skills of TTE imaging more intuitively and understandably. This training system comprises a 3D-printed ultrasound probe simulator and a sliceable heart model. The probe simulator incorporates a linear laser generator to enable the visualization of the projection of the ultrasound scan plane in a 3D space. By using the probe simulator in conjunction with the sliceable heart model or other commercially available anatomic models, trainees can attain a more comprehensive understanding of probe motion and related scan planes in TTE. Notably, the 3D-printed models are portable and low-cost, suggesting their potential utility in various clinical scenarios, particularly for just-in-time training.Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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