Abstract
Central venous lines are used to administer medicines, nutrients, and blood products to the heart via the large internal jugular vein. This technology is used when medications cannot be administered orally or injected through smaller veins. The procedure involves a high level of precision and there is little room for error. The goal of this research is to investigate the feasibility of using augmented reality (AR) glasses in central line simulation by novice operators and comparing its efficacy to standard central line simulation/teaching. With the Brother AiRScouter augmented reality glasses, the learner controls the timing of each step and receives real‐time information from the AR glasses. A grader documented the time to AR glasses placement, time to venipuncture, number of attempts, and completion of a pre‐determined checklist. This study used a prospective randomized enrollment of 32 novice operators. Subjects were randomized on a 1:1 basis to either a simulation using the augmented reality glasses or a simulation using only conventional instruction. There was a total of 32 subjects participating in this study. Mean age of participants was 39.8±7.8 years; 5 Females and 27 Males; 11 Physicians, 19 Respiratory Therapists, and 2 Sleep Technologists. The mean time for AR placement in the AR group was 71 ± 43 secs and time to IJ cannulation was 316 ± 112 sec. There was no significant difference in median (min, max) time (seconds) to IJ cannulation for those who were in the AR group and those who were not (339 (130, 550) vs 287 (35, 475), p=0.09), respectively. There was also no significant median difference between the two groups in total procedure time (524 (329, 792 vs 469 (198, 781), p=0.29), respectively. Our results are consistent with the idea that AR‐simulation of central venous catheters is feasible and efficacious for novice operators. AR technology is likely to be generally applicable to both procedural and fundamental medical education.
Support or Funding Information
Brother Augmented Reality glasses were provided by Brother‐USA. Tom & Vi Zapara School of Business at La Sierra University supported this study.
This is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this published in The FASEB Journal.