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CholelithiasisNCT01615549

Efficacy of Proficiency-based Versus Free Laparoscopic Training in Cholecystectomy on a Virtual Reality Simulator

A study testing Laparsocopic cholecystectomy in people with Cholelithiasis and Cholecystitis, run by University of Zurich at 2 sites in Switzerland.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

Virtual reality devices are widely accepted tools to familiarize surgical novices with the principles of laparoscopy. Free Virtual reality training will be tested against basic training and efficacy assessed in a randomized controlled trial of surgical novices. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Cholelithiasis, Cholecystitis, Cholecystolithiasis
What is being tested?
Laparsocopic cholecystectomy
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
64 participants
Where
2 sitesSwitzerland
Study dates
Apr 2004to Dec 2014
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Surgical novices (trainees / residents)
  • Performed less than five laparoscopic procedures
  • No previous simulator experience

Who cannot join

  • Specialist surgeons
  • Performed more than five laparoscopic procedures
  • Previous experience with a simulator

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

Martin W von Websky, MD contact

martin@websky.de

Dimitri A Raptis, MD, MSc contact

+41798820542

dimitri.raptis@usz.ch

Switzerland2 sites, 1 recruiting
  • University Hospital Zurich

    Zurich, Canton of Zurich, 8091

    Oliver M Fisher, MD

    Dimitri A Raptis, MD, MSc, +41798820542, dimitri.raptis@usz.ch

    Recruiting
  • University Hospital Zurich, Department of Surgery

    Zurich, CH-8091

    Active, not recruiting

Other trials in Switzerland

About this study

Official title: Proficiency-based Versus Free Laparoscopic Training in Cholecystectomy Using the Simbionix LAP Mentor™. A Randomized Controlled Trial

Virtual reality devices are widely accepted tools to familiarize surgical novices with the principles of laparoscopy. Free Virtual reality training will be tested against basic training and efficacy assessed in a randomized controlled trial of surgical novices.

Read the detailed description

Virtual reality simulators are widely accepted tools to familiarize surgical novices with the principles of laparoscopy without jeopardizing patient safety. However, access to a Virtual reality simulator and initial instruction alone followed by free training of the surgical novice may not be sufficient to achieve the training goals efficiently. The aims of this study are to determine if proficiency based laparoscopic training on the Simbionx LAP Mentor™ with external formative assessment using peer group derived benchmarks is superior to free training with self-assessment using the simulated laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure with different endpoints (time to extract the gallbladder, serious complications, safe cautery and instrument pathways) as outcome parameters.

Being tested
Laparsocopic cholecystectomy
Keywords
Cholecystectomy, Virtual reality device, Training
Medical subject headings
Cholelithiasis, Cholecystitis, Cholecystolithiasis

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Laparsocopic cholecystectomyProcedure or surgery

    Also called Key whole gall bladder surgery

    Perform laparsocopic cholecystectomy on a virtual reality devise

Study groups in NCT01615549
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Free trainingActive comparatorNot described
Receives: Procedure: Laparsocopic cholecystectomy
Proficiency-based trainingExperimentalNot described
Receives: Procedure: Laparsocopic cholecystectomy

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Time to extract the gall bladder.

    The time to extract the gall bladder on a virtual simulator is typically 10 minutes. However this varies according to the settings of the difficulty chosen on the virtual reality software. This is a continuous variable measuring the duration for a trainee surgeon to extract the gall bladder (measured in seconds). The start point is the beginning of the exercise and the finishing point is once the gall bladder is completely resected (gall bladder mobilized and the cystic duct and artery dissected and ligated).

    Measured: 10 minutes in average

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Serious intra-operative complications

    Serious complications on a virtual simulator are considered injuries to the bile duct, hepatic artery, the bowel, or the liver bed. Such complications are automatically detected by the virtual reality software and recorded in a special database. This is a continuous variable with "0" indicating no complications, "1" indicating one complication, "2" indicating two complications, etc.

    Measured: 10 minutes in average

  2. Safe cautery

    During a virtual laparoscopic cholecycetoctomy, cautery (also know as a coagulator, a device that utilizes electrical current for dissection or bleeding control)is commonly used to mobilize the gall bladder away from the liver bed. The virtual simulator software measures the percentage of the unsafe use of cautery. This is a continuous variable with 100% safe cautery indicating no unsafe cauterization around important structures such as the bowel, bile duct, hepatic artery, etc.

    Measured: 10 minutes in average

  3. Total path length of right instrument

    The total path length of the right instrument used to extract the gall bladder during a virtual laparoscopic cholecystectomy task measures the "in and out" movement of the right instrument. The higher the value, the more unnecessary movements are made during the task.

    Measured: 10 minutes in average

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted8 Jun 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 2004
  3. Primary completionDec 2014 (estimated)
  4. Study completionDec 2014 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
64 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01615549
Sponsor's protocol ID
Simbionix 20120507
Other IDs
SNSF 32003B-120722
Status last verified
Aug 2013
First submitted
23 May 2012
Last updated
23 Aug 2013
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • von Websky MW, Raptis DA, Vitz M, Rosenthal R, Clavien PA, Hahnloser D. Access to a simulator is not enough: the benefits of virtual reality training based on peer-group-derived benchmarks--a randomized controlled trial. World J Surg. 2013 Nov;37(11):2534-41. doi: 10.1007/s00268-013-2175-6.

    PubMed 23942532

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Laparsocopic cholecystectomy in people with Cholelithiasis and Cholecystitis, run by University of Zurich at 2 sites in Switzerland.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Aug 2013. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Martin W von Websky, MD (martin@websky.de), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Time to extract the gall bladder. (time frame: 10 minutes in average). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01615549, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 Aug 2013.

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