Orthopaedic Surgical Skills Simulation: Comparing Training Utility of Cadaveric Models to Sawbones in Resident Education

This study aimed to compare the effect of surgical simulation between high-fidelity cadaveric (HF) and low-fidelity Sawbones (LF) models on teaching fracture care assessed with surgical performance using HF cadaveric models. Fourteen orthopaedic surgery residents (PGY-1-PGY-5) were divided into HF and LF groups, matched by training level. Each group practiced fracture fixation on their respective fiidelity-level models with OTA Type 33-C1 distal femur fractures: the HF group on Rimasys pre-fractured cadaveric models (Rimasys GmbH, Cologne, Germany) and the LF group on Sawbones (Pacific Research Laboratories, Inc., Vashon, WA). Both cohorts were evaluated on fracture fixation using high-fidelity Rimasys models with the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) tool. There was no statistically significant difference in performance between groups (mean OSATS score: HF 21.7, LF 17.8, p = 0.19). Despite this, residents unanimously preferred high-fidelity cadaveric simulation, highlighting its potential as a valuable training tool in orthopaedic surgery education. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 35(3):134–137, 2026)

Key words: resident education, surgical simulation, surgical skills, sawbones, cadaveric model, distal femur