Three-dimensional Printed Microvascular Clamps: A Safe, Cheap, and Effective Instrumentation for Microsurgery Training

Microsurgical training involves practice in ex vivo models during the early learning curve, and poor instrument handling by the inexperienced microsurgeons can cause damage to microsurgical instrumentation or clamps, which is particularly costly. To address this, we demonstrate the development, design, manufacturing, and application of 3 different types of 3-dimensional printed microvascular clamps in an ex vivo simulation training model. This report provides evidence of a low-cost and easily accessible device that facilitates the process of microsurgical training. The clamps were found to provide advantages akin to normal stainless-steel microvascular clamps in training settings.