Publication

Abstract :

Context: Surgical technique shave advanced rapidly over the years. Surgeons need to up date themselves with these advances. Many surgeons also feel the need to hone their surgical skills so as to achieve best possible management of their patients. To facilitate this, Surgical Workshops (SWs) are organized in medicalcolleges.For these workshops to be effective, it is necessary that cadavers used in these workshops be embalmed in such away that they resemble the bodyinnaturalstateasfaraspossible.

Aims: To compare the two embalming methods – formal in solution and saturated salt solution in terms of(a) Sterility of body tissue/fluids achieved; (b)Range of motion in joints post embalming;(c)Ease of performing incision on abdomen.

Settings and Design: A total of 16 cadavers were taken for this study. These were all donated bodies between the age group 50–80 years. Materials and Methods: These cadavers were divided into Two Groups: Group A and Group B. Each Group had four male and four female cadavers. Group A was embalmed using formalin solution and Group B wa sembalmed Saturated Salt Solution(SSS). Bacterial culture tests and measurement of ranges of motion were conducted for each cadaver.In addition,incision followed by suture were performed in the cadavers.

Statistical analysis used: Mann Whitney U test.

Results: The SSS method had as ufficient antibiotic effect and produced cadavers with flexible joints and a high tissue quality suitable forsurgical workshops. The surgeons found thecadavers embalmed by the SSS method to have a higher range of mobility than those embalmed by the formalin method.

Conclusions: Cadavers embalmed by the SSS method are optimum for SWs.This method is simple, carries a low in fectious risk,and is relatively of low cost,enabling a wider use of cadavers for trainingin surgical techniques