Surgical simulation is becoming increasingly important due to a reduction in operative exposure during surgical training. We describe a method to encourage precise suture placement using simple equipment that can be practised outside the skills laboratory.
Affix a Post-it® note to a table with its adhesive edge lying to your left. Using an ‘inside to outside, outside to inside’ technique, suture along the free edge of the Post-it® note (Fig 1). Now, pull out the stitch and resuture through the prior made perforations (Fig 2). This simple exercise encourages delicate handling to minimise tissue trauma and a good needle holder technique to facilitate the placement of precise stitches under direct vision.
Figure 1.
Initial suture placement
Figure 2.
Accurate continuous suture practice