Development and validation of a low-fidelity simulator to suture a laparotomy in rabbits.

There is a growing need for the development of alternatives to reduce, replace and refine the use of animals for surgical training in contemporary veterinary education at the undergraduate level. In the present study, a simulator to suture a midline laparotomy in the rabbit was designed, that could be constructed from widely-available and low-cost materials. The simulator was used to develop surgical skills in students at the undergraduate level of veterinary medicine. Thirty-five, third-year veterinary students, with no previous surgical experience, were divided into two groups: a control group that did not use the simulator (n = 19), and an experimental group that used the simulator three times to practise the suturing of a laparotomy (n = 16). Later, both groups performed a midline laparotomy in an anaesthetised rabbit, and the rate of closure of each anatomical plane (peritoneum, additional reinforcement, and skin) was measured.