Utilizing equipment and conditions similar to the operating room we have reproduced all that it is necessary for simulating cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation. Surgeries are performed in a dummy who has a freshly fixed human anatomic piece firmly attached to a device specially developed and which is placed inside the thorax of the dummy. The procedures performed are videotaped and are also displayed simultaneously in a large screen situated in an auditorium with free communication with the surgical team. The system was utilized in July 1993 - XI Unicor International Symposium, and in November 1993 - 3rd SCICVESP Congress and in March 1994 - 21th Brazilian Congress of Cardiac Surgery with the following procedures being perfomed: Senning, Jatene, cavo-pulmonary anastomosis, Konno, Monaghian, mitral valve replacement, labyrinth surgery, retrograde cardioplegy, implantable defibrillator and orthotopic heart transplantation.The method was received enthusiastically by our colleagues and proved to be an efficient teaching technique as well as an excellent rehearsal tool due to its: 1) perfect reproducibility of the surgical conditions; 2) excellent image of the procedures as viewed in the large screen at the auditorium; 3) improvement in the way surgery is learned and taught due to the fact that the surgical field is clear cut and the surgical team is relaxed; 4) interruption of the surgical act without the complications that could develop during a "real" surgery; "surgery" can be interrupted at any time; 5) obtaining a video library with high quality definition images of different procedures; 6) we can foresee a frozen archive of hearts with congenital or acquired heart defects prepared to undergo surgical correction and 7) the future utilization of this technique in other surgical specialties.
heart surgery; surgery; cardiac surgery