AIM  To investigate the effect of clinical application of in vitro procedural simulation using 3D printed cardiovascular model in teaching of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

  METHODS  From March 2021 to September 2021, 40 students who participated in the valvular diseases interventional therapy training course held by the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of Xijing Hospital were selected as trainees, and they were divided into teaching experimental group and control group. Twenty-five students in the control group used the traditional teaching methods of theoretical teaching + surgical observation, and 15 students in the teaching experiment group used 3D printed cardiovascular models to simulate surgery in vitro on the basis of the teaching methods used in control group. The teaching time between the two groups are the same. After the training course, the learning outcome between the two groups was evaluated and compared.

  RESULTS  The examination papers mainly tested and evaluated the trainees from three aspects, namely, surgical indications and contraindications (30 points), imaging evaluation (30 points) and standardized surgical procedures (40 points). There was no significant difference in the test scores of surgical indications and contraindications, and imaging evaluation between the two groups. But the test scores of standardized surgical procedures in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.01). The total test scores in the teaching experiment group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.01). After the course, the results of the questionnaire showed that adding 3D printed cardiovascular models to simulate surgery in vitro can significantly improve learning interest, improve teamwork ability, problem analysis ability, teacher-student interaction and practical work ability when compared with the traditional teaching method. And a higher proportion of students in the teaching experimental group like this new teaching method (all P<0.05). After the assessment, the control group was supplemented with 3D printed cardiovascular model in vitro surgery simulation video teaching. After the reassessment, there was no significant difference in the scores of the two groups, which fully guaranteed the fairness of teaching.

  CONCLUSION  In the teaching of TAVR surgery, the teaching method of using 3D printed cardiovascular models to simulate the surgical process in vitro plays an important role in improving the students’ mastery of surgical procedures and learning efficiency.