132 - Anatomical Artifacts: The Role of Surgical Devices in the Gross Anatomy Lab in Medical Education

Poster Board Number: 132
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Odd poster #s – first hour
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Co-authors:

Adrienne Kully - Pathology, Anatomy, and Laboratory Medicine - West Virginia University School of Medicine; Matthew Zdilla - Pathology, Anatomy, and Laboratory Medicine - West Virginia University School of Medicine; David Rasicci - Pathology, Anatomy, and Laboratory Medicine - West Virginia University School of Medicine

Abstract Body : Whole body dissection is a critical component of human anatomy education in the training of our future health care professionals. Beyond routine anatomy and anatomical variation, however, anatomy students and lab faculty regularly discover surgical devices as remnants of medical intervention. In this project, these surgical devices are referred to as 'anatomical artifacts.' The goal of this study is to compile anatomical artifacts routinely identified in the gross anatomy lab, document their prevalence, and expand upon their clinical significance. Accordingly, donors were surveyed for anatomical artifacts following whole body dissection at the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center over multiple semesters. Artifacts with a higher prevalence included sternotomy wires (10:50; 20%), various models of pacemakers (4:50; 8%), dentures (4:50; 8%), and orthopedic surgical plates (3:50; 6%). Some rarer artifacts included a femoral artery crossover tube and gastrojejunostomy tube. Anatomy educators can leverage these artifacts to make their teaching more clinically oriented to better prepare students for health professions. Rarer artifacts also may involve clinical collaboration or HIPAA-compliant requests for protected health information to improve understanding, particularly for the anatomist without formal clinical training. Educators and health profession students may benefit from this collection of artifacts, as it serves as a tangible example of common pathologies, clinical observations, and medical interventions.
Lastly, we report instances in which artifacts may present occupational safety risk during whole body dissection. Thus, dissemination of their prevalence may help not only to educate but also to prevent occupational injury in gross anatomy lab settings.