Vascular Access Training Models

Collaborators: Stanford Interventional Radiology

Ultrasound-guided vascular access procedures are performed by identifying a target vessel beneath the skin using an ultrasound probe, then advancing a needle or catheter into the vessel while monitoring placement in real time. Because arteries and deeper vessels can be difficult to access, procedural training on physical phantoms that simulate human anatomy can be a safe alternative to practicing on patients.

Many commercially available training phantoms can be expensive or provide limited ultrasound visibility. Interventional Radiology was interested in developing a more cost-effective model that could better reproduce vessel anatomy and echogenicity for procedural practice and education.

Figure A: Proposed vascular access phantom design showing iliac vasculature, pelvic anatomy, and the surrounding mold region used for ballistic gel casting.

Figure B: Completed multi-material 3D printed phantom components designed to withstand the heat generated during ballistic gel casting.

Figure C: Ballistic gel vascular access phantom with the flexible vascular model positioned inside the cast, prepared for ultrasound-guided procedural training.

The Stanford 3DQ Lab developed a custom vascular access phantom using segmented iliac vasculature, 3D printed structural components, and ballistic gel casting techniques. The iliac vessels were segmented from imaging data and printed in a flexible material using a Formlabs printer, while the surrounding mold and bony anatomy were designed by the lab and outsourced to the Rutt Lab for polycarbonate printing.

After fabrication, the printed components were provided to the Interventional Radiology team, who assembled the mold and performed the ballistic gel casting process. The reusable mold design allowed multiple training phantoms to be created by only replacing the vascular part and ballistic gel. The completed models were used for ultrasound-guided vascular access training and represent how imaging and additive manufacturing can support lower-cost procedural simulation and education.

Publication: ScienceDirect

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