Biomimetic Tissue Simulant for Realistic PCC Training

Human patient simulators are used by the Army to train combat medics on prolonged casualty care (PCC) procedures. However, synthetic tissues in current simulators do not realistically reproduce live human tissue behavior. This leads to poor quality training and the potential for patient harm1,2. Accurate synthetic tissues that can adapt to demonstrate patient progression or regression without the use of loud pumps or mechanical actuators (which pull trainees out of simulation realism) are needed. TDA Research, Inc. (TDA) and SynDaver LLC (SynDaver) propose to develop a biomimetic synthetic tissue that responds to treatment to provide realistic training, demonstrating PCC scenarios in a single class period. By emulating the structure of human tissue, it will be inherently capable of common tissue functions (e.g., swelling, fluid excretion, bleeding, temperature change). The system will leverage advanced, functional hydrogel technology and will use quiet actuation systems to avoid making non-biologic noise that reduces the realism of the simulation.