It's billed as the world's first real time virtual reality orthopedic surgery training tool, and it was developed in Montreal.
Sim-K was created for surgical residents and it's hands on when it comes to knee reconstruction.
“The trainees get a feeling whether he's piercing the bone or not, whether he's jamming the saw or whether the drill bit is jamming,” said orthopedic surgeon Dr. Marc Isler, who helped develop it.
Knee surgery is extremely precise and the machine gives surgeons a chance to hone basic skills and gain confidence before going into the operating room.
In his final year, orthopedic surgery resident Felix Brassard tried the simulator for the first time and says he can see the benefits of training with it.
“Especially for certain cuts you need to use the same tools to do different positions and I think the first time in or you are a little clumsy with the instruments,” he said.
Sim-K was created, designed and developed in Montreal through a partnership between Ossim Technologies, a private company and three orthopedic surgeons.
Ossim Technologies says it's working on expanding the simulator training to other types of surgeries.
“Now we're moving onto the spine, which is a highly complicated surgery, a high risk surgery, so this is a very exciting field,” said President Andre Blain.
They’re still fine-tuning the machine, so it could be about a year before it's integrated into the Universite de Montreal’s orthopedic surgery training program.
