A Novel Device for Training and Evaluating Ultrasound-Guided Procedures in Anesthesia

To improve dynamic needle-tip visualization, nurse anesthesiology students were evaluated during simulated ultrasound-guided procedures. This quasiexperimental study utilized two computed tomography 3D printed models. Thirty-two students performed each procedure twice, once without and once with needle guidance. Measures focused on accuracy and procedural performance to determine the impact that guidance versus no guidance had on attempts. Students evaluated their experiences, self-confidence, feasibility, and usability using needle guidance technology. Needle guidance improved the distance to target, total procedure time, phantom penetration time, number of attempts, completion rate, and effectiveness in both procedures. Overall, a decrease in distance to target in millimeters was uncovered when needle guidance was utilized (Z = -5.723, P < .001). Needle guidance showed a decrease of 3.96 attempts when guidance was utilized for the infraclavicular (F[1, 22] = 51.79, P < .001) and 0.96 attempts during the thoracic paravertebral procedure (F[1, 22] = 6.02, P = .023). Students found that needle guidance enhanced ease, speed, and overall performance, while feeling significantly more confident performing the infraclavicular (P < .001) and thoracic paravertebral (P < .001) procedures. The use of needle guidance technology showed improvement in accuracy comparable with results obtained using external tracking technology.