Try your hand at surgery: chance to perform virtual surgical procedures at Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

Exhibit gives public the chance to see how good a surgeon they could be <em> - News Release </em>

Imperial College London News Release
Under strict embargo for 18.00 BST
Monday 2 July 2007

The public is being given the chance to see how good a surgeon they could be through an exhibit at this year's Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.

Visitors will be able to perform part of a virtual keyhole operation on a realistic simulator that looks like an anaesthetised patient, using real surgical instruments and guided by images on a computer screen. An experienced surgeon will lead them and show them what to do.

Visitors will also be able to stitch a wound, or remove a fatty lump under the skin known as a lipoma, on an actor. The actors will be wearing a strapped-on prosthetic model, revealed underneath an opening in a surgical drape. Using actors means that those taking part have to communicate with and handle the 'patient' whilst performing the procedure, making the experience highly realistic.

The virtual procedures are part of simulation and assessment technology developed by researchers at Imperial College London to improve surgeons' training and performance without risk to patients.

Simulation is widely used, but the Imperial College team has pioneered the combination of using actors with models, and putting computer simulators in a realistic setting. Clinicians at all levels can benefit from this approach and even experienced surgeons find the simulations highly realistic, according to the researchers.

Using technology enables surgeons and trainees to analyse their performance, using computer-based assessment and feedback. After performing a procedure, they can watch video footage of it, which provides a record of their training and guides them on how to improve.

Dr Roger Kneebone  from the Division of Surgery, Oncology, Reproductive Biology and Anaesthetics at Imperial College London, explains: "Doctors need to practise in a realistic setting before they do procedures on real patients. This applies to operations under local anaesthetic as well as to keyhole surgery. Our approach ensures that doctors link technical skill with effective communication. By linking simulators with real people, using actors to play the patient, we ensure that doctors respond authentically.

"I think visitors will find it very interesting to experience what it's like to 'operate' on a patient and see what medical training can do these days. We hope they will take away an understanding of how important it is to practice a skill before carrying it out on a patient, and that they will experience how interesting - but also how difficult - it can be to operate on someone," he added.

The researchers believe that, as highly skilled procedures such as 'keyhole surgery' become more common, it is increasingly important for surgeons to practice in simulated scenarios before operating on real patients.

The research team is developing simulations for complex operations and emergency situations. They are also working on patient specific simulation, which allows surgeons to prepare for difficult surgery in advance by using imaging scans to recreate an individual patient's anatomy.

A press preview is being held from 15.00 - 17.00 on Monday 2 July. Members of the media who wish to attend should contact Laura Gallagher on L.Gallagher@imperial.ac.uk or (0)207 594 6702.

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For further information please contact:

Laura Gallagher
Senior Press Officer
Imperial College London
e-mail: l.gallagher@imperial.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)207 594 6702 or ext. 46702
Out of hours duty Press Officer: +44 (0)7803 886 248

Notes to editors:

1. The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition is held annually at the Royal Society, the UK's national academy of science. The event is free and open to the public. This year, 23 interactive exhibits will be on show presenting the best of UK science, engineering and technology. During the four days of the event, more than 4,000 people are expected to take up the opportunity to explore the exhibition.

The Exhibition runs from Monday 2 to Thursday 5 July 2007. Press preview: 15.00 - 17.00 Monday 2 July.

Exhibition opening times:
Monday 2 July: 18.00pm - 21.00pm (late opening)
Tuesday 3 July: 10.00am - 21.00pm (late opening)
Wednesday 4 July: 10.00am - 16.30pm
Thursday 5 July: 10.00am - 16.30pm
Last entry 30 minutes before closing

Further information can be found at www.summerscience.org.uk. The Royal Society can be found at 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG. Nearest tubes are Piccadilly Circus or Charing Cross.

2. About Imperial College London

Rated as the world's ninth best university in the 2006 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 11,500 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

With 66 Fellows of the Royal Society among our current academic staff and distinguished past members of the College including 14 Nobel Laureates and two Fields Medallists, Imperial's contribution to society has been immense. Inventions and innovations include the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of our research for the benefit of all continues today with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle climate change and mathematical modelling to predict and control the spread of infectious diseases.

The College's 100 years of living science will be celebrated throughout 2007 with a range of events to mark the Centenary of the signing of Imperial's founding charter on 8 July 1907.

Website: www.imperial.ac.uk