Interactive medical training system and method

• US 8,591,236 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2005
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mentice AB
• Original Assignee: Xitact SA
• Inventors: Vecerina, Ivan, Zoethout, Jurjen, Launay, Murielle
• Primary Examiner(s): Gishnock, Nikolai A
• Application Number:
  US11/101,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20050221263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,155 Days
• Field of Search: 434/262, 434/267, 382/128
• US Class Current: 434/262
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/285 for injections, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, sigmoidscopy, insertion of contraceptive devices or enemas

Abstract

A method for training a user in a medical procedure utilizes an interactive computer system with a virtual representation of at least one organ and at least one instrument. The representation of surface area parts of the virtual organ to be treated are covered with a graphical identification marker. The computer system includes a table stored in memory comprising situations arising within the medical procedure predefined through positions of the instrument(s), positions of the organ(s), the logical sequence of steps to be executed within the medical procedure, different aspect values for the graphical identification markers and assessment values for the situation. Upon interaction of the user with the organ and the instrument, graphical identification markers change their aspect according to the stored value in the table for the predefined situation and the corresponding assessment value is stored in a history log table within the computer system.

Claims

1. A method for training a user in a medical procedure in a simulated surgical interaction in a training session within a simulated environment comprising the steps of:

providing an interactive computer system with a virtual geometrical representation of at least one organ and at least one instrument in the simulated surgical interaction within the simulated environment, wherein the instrument is operated by the user in the training session, wherein the representation of at least one organ part of the virtual organ to be treated is covered with at least one graphical identification marker, wherein the computer system comprises a table stored in memory comprising predefined situations arising within the medical procedure predefined through positions of the at least one instrument, positions of the at least one organ, the logical sequence of steps to be executed within said medical procedure, one or more different aspect values for the one or more graphical identification markers and one or more assessment values for said situation;

changing the aspect of one or more graphical identification markers according to the stored value in said table for the predefined situation upon interaction of the user with the at least one organ and the at least one instrument; and

storing the corresponding assessment value of the training session in a history log table within the computer system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the graphical identification marker is a spot, a ring contour, a line, a polygonal surface or a volume area.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the change of aspect of a graphical identification marker is a change of color according to a color table.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the assessment value is correlated to a success-and-error-table comprising predefined assessment information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said table of situations comprise one-, two-, or three-dimensional interval values for the position of the organs and instruments.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one organ part of the virtual organ is a surface area part or a 3D organ part.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a change of aspect of a graphical identification marker for a 3D organ part is different from the change of aspect for a surface area part.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual representation is based on a visible light endoscopic representation or an X-ray representation.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the logical sequence of steps to be executed within said medical procedure is subdivided into identical sub-steps having an identical layout as that of the logical sequence of steps.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the sub-steps comprise one or more of the following steps:

a prerecorded video representation of said step within a real intervention,

a prerecorded virtual reality video representation of the intervention to be performed within said step based on the structure of the virtual reality environment,

instructions for the intervention of said step,

a prerecorded virtual reality graphical stills or video representation of common errors within said step,

a training session of said step without guidance.

11. A system for training a user in a medical procedure in a simulated surgical interaction within a simulated environment in a training session comprising an interactive computer system, configured to create a virtual representation of at least one organ and at least one instrument in the simulated surgical interaction within the simulated environment, wherein the instrument is operated by the user in the training session, wherein the representation of organ parts of the virtual organ to be treated are covered with at least one graphical identification marker, wherein the computer system comprises a table stored in a memory of the computer system, wherein the table comprises situations arising within the medical procedure predefined through positions of the at least one instrument, positions of the at least one organ, the logical sequence of steps to be executed within said medical procedure, one or more different aspect values for the one or more graphical identification markers and one or more assessment values for said situation, wherein upon interaction of the user with the at least one organ and the at least one instrument, the one or more graphical identification markers change their aspect according to the stored value in said table for the predefined situation and the corresponding assessment value of the training session is stored in a history log table within the computer system.