Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open (May 2024)

Livestreaming Microsurgery Education: An Avenue to Expand Global Plastic Surgery

  • Sahand C. Eftekari, BS,
  • Weifeng Zeng, MD,
  • Ellen C. Shaffrey, MD,
  • Katherine D. Reuter Munoz, MD,
  • D’Andrea T. Donnelly, BA,
  • Aaron M. Dingle, PhD,
  • Samuel O. Poore, MD, PhD

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1097/GOX.0000000000005797
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 5
p. e5797

Abstract

Read online

Summary:. Microsurgery is a complex subspecialty requiring fine manual dexterity and a thorough understanding of microsurgical techniques, requiring years of training to reach proficiency. On a global scale, trainees may not have access to a longitudinal microsurgery curriculum and instead attend brief courses to learn microsurgical techniques, limiting their ability to practice the nuances of microsurgery. There remains a gap in global microsurgical education for trainees to have consistent educational exposure. This article presents a novel and easy to use software-based microsurgical system for virtual microsurgical teaching. In doing so, this system provides a free-of-cost and highly accessible avenue to deliver consistent microsurgical education worldwide.