The role of simulation in the development of endovascular surgical skills

Endovascular trainees in the National Health Service still largely rely on the apprentice-apprenticeship model from the late 19th century. As the scope for endovascular therapy increases, due to the rapid innovation, evolution and refinement of technology, so too do patients’ therapeutic options. This climate has also opened the door for more novel training adjuncts, to address the gaps that exist in our current endovascular training curriculum. The aim of this paper is to present a succinct overview of endovascular simulation, synthesizing the trials and research behind this rapidly evolving training as well as highlighting areas where further research is required. The authors searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for relevant manuscripts on all aspects of endovascular simulation training. A comprehensive Google search was also undertaken to look for any relevant information on endovascular training courses available and any unpublished work that had been presented at relevant scientific meetings. Papers were categorized into the four models: synthetic, animal, virtual reality and human cadaver, and separate searches for evidence of skill transfer were also undertaken. Authors of novel research projects were contacted for further details of unpublished work and permission granted to report such findings in this manuscript.