Dexter Fiber Optic Trainer

Dexter is a non-anatomic part task trainer that teaches fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Its forte is helping the user understand the maneuvers necessary to go around angles to reach all the bronchi. It also is adept at teaching orientation. While making turn after turn to get to a particular bronchus, it is easy to lose orientation relative to the patient. Dexter will not only help trainees maintain their orientation, but lets the instructor know when orientation is lost, by means of a testing system built into the model.

There are a series of branching points which can be combined in various configurations. Each branch ends in a cap with an image. The images can be rotated any direction in order to factor orientation into the test. As the trainee is attempting to record which image is at the end of each branch, they must also determine in some cases the orientation of the image. One notable example is a clock face without numbers. The image may be oriented to read 4:40 in the correct orientation, but if the trainee gets twisted as they go, they may see a clock face that reads 8:00 or 2:30.

There are also two pieces that give an extra challenge in maneuvering the tip of the scope. One is a slalom which can be adjusted from very simple to very complex. Adding one of the clock faces at the end is particularly challenging. The other is an open cylinder with multiple images around the inside. The trainee must log which images are in which positions.