Surgical simulation assembly

A surgical simulation tray assembly for simulating realistic surgery on animal or human tissue comprising:

• a tray having a central indentation configured to receive the animal or human tissue and at least one drainage aperture;
• a support structure comprising
• a base frame having a front rail, a back rail, and opposing side rails,
• a container having an upper support portion configured to maintain the tray thereon and a lower containment portion,
• a removable container liner carried by the lower containment portion for containing fluid waste drained from the drainage aperture and containing the tray and the animal or human tissue after surgery is completed,
• risers for elevating the container above the base frame, said risers being slidably connected to opposing side rails of the base frame to move the location of the container relative to the base frame from front to back, wherein the container is adjustable so as to be centered on the base frame or positioned to the front or the back along the base frame and allow a robot controlled instrument to enter the animal or human tissue from below, and
• a plurality of legs pivotably connected to the base frame to support the base frame, wherein each leg is individually adjustable in height and foldable under the base frame.

A surgical simulation tray assembly for simulating realistic surgery comprising:

• a generally flat tray having a central indentation, at least one drainage aperture, and at least one indented trough extending from the central indentation for receiving at least one tube;
• a heart with one or more lungs positioned within the central indentation and at least one tube extending from the heart positioned within the at least one indented trough;
• an air pump assembly comprising a variable speed double action air pump for simulating the beating of the heart;
• and
• a support structure comprising
• a base frame having a front rail, a back rail, and opposing side rails, and
• a container having an upper support portion configured to maintain the tray thereon and a lower containment portion,
• a removable container liner carried by the lower containment portion for containing fluid waste drained from the drainage aperture and containing the tray and heart with one or more lungs after surgery is completed,
• risers for elevating the container above the base frame, said risers being slidably connected to opposing side rails of the base frame to move the location of the container relative to the base frame from front to back, wherein the container is adjustable so as to be centered on the base frame or positioned to the front or the back along the base frame and allow a robot controlled instrument to enter the heart from below, and
• a plurality of legs pivotably connected to the base frame to support the base frame, wherein each leg is individually adjustable in height and foldable under the base frame.

A method for simulating a beating heart for simulating realistic surgery comprising:

• providing a simulator heart on a tray having a central indentation that receives the simulator heart and at least one drainage aperture, and a support structure comprising a base frame having a front rail, a back rail, and opposing side rails, and a container having an upper support portion that maintains the tray thereon and a lower containment portion having a container liner;
• risers for elevating the container above the base frame, said risers being slidably connected to opposing side rails of the base frame to move the location of the container relative to the base frame from front to back, wherein the container is adjustable so as to be centered on the base frame or positioned to the front or the back along the base frame and allow a robot controlled instrument to enter the simulator heart from below, and a plurality of legs pivotably connected to the base frame to support the base frame, wherein each leg is individually adjustable in height and foldable under the base frame;
• the method further comprising,
• adjusting the height of each leg and sliding the risers on opposing side rails of the base frame to adjust the container into a position to allow positioning of a robot controlled instrument on the simulator heart during simulated surgery;
• placing at least one balloon in either the atria or ventricles of the simulator heart;
• connecting the at least one balloon to at least one pneumatic tube;
• providing a variable speed dual action air pump for simulating the beating of the simulator heart creating by both positive pressure and vacuum;
• connecting the variable speed dual action air pump to the at least one pneumatic tube;
• collecting fluid waste drained from the aperture within the container liner;
• and
• removing the container liner from the container that contains the drained fluid, tray and simulator heart after surgery is completed.