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Cricothyrotomy Simulator (White UW)

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▼This page was built from limited source data.Build instructions are derived from the secondary description given by D'Auria & Persia (2014) because the full text of the three primary publications by White et al. (2012 IEEE GHTC; 2013 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting; 2014 Journal of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery) was not accessible at the time of page creation. STL specifications for the 3D-printed neck skeleton, foam grade and dimensions for the tracheal cartilaginous rings, cardboard tracheal-tube dimensions, and bicycle-inner-tube specifications are not recoverable from the secondary source and are flagged OPEN pending primary-source access. Editors with access to any of the White et al. publications are invited to fill these gaps. Build instructions and material specifications may be incomplete. If you have access to the source publication, please help improve this page.


Anatomical reference diagram of the larynx — thyroid cartilage, cricothyroid ligament, cricoid cartilage and trachea — with the cricothyrotomy and tracheostomy access points labelled (a reference diagram, not a photograph of the trainer).
Anatomical reference: laryngeal structures (1) thyroid cartilage, (2) cricothyroid ligament, (3) cricoid cartilage, (4) trachea, with the cricothyrotomy and tracheostomy access points labelled. Image by PhilippN, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons; based on Gray's Anatomy plate 951.

This is a low-cost procedural-skill trainer for emergency cricothyrotomy, compiled here from the secondary description in D'Auria & Persia (2014)[1] §2 (the originating laboratory is named under Development Team Contact; the White et al. primary publications were not accessed). Before the attempt the trainee watches an instructional video (New England Journal of Medicine), then on the model palpates the cricothyroid membrane through a bicycle-inner-tube skin, makes a vertical skin incision and a horizontal 1 cm incision in the membrane, inserts a tracheal hook into the cricoid cartilage to open the airway, and places an endotracheal tube. Conductive-foil sensors built into the cardboard trachea and its foam cartilaginous rings record each instrument contact for feedback. ⚑ Open for review: this page and the D'Auria page describe one device from one source (D'Auria & Persia 2014) — whether to merge them (with D'Auria's scoring software as an overlay) or keep them split is routed to Catherine; do not merge without her ruling.

Field Details
Features and Basic Operation Conductive-foil sensors at six labelled landmarks on the trachea model (A–F) register each instrument contact and feed an Arduino microcontroller, so placement against the correct site (the midline cricothyroid membrane, C) and the sites to avoid (the posterior tracheal wall and the lateral tracheoesophageal grooves) can be recorded during the attempt. The disposable trachea model is replaced after each procedure. The foils feed an Arduino Uno (Atmel ATmega328) with a mounted 8×8 LED matrix display — named in the source §2.1 as part of this base trainer. The Activity Detection Engine scoring software that interprets the contact data is the D'Auria & Persia (2014) Cyber-Physical-System overlay, documented at TissueDB/Simulators/Cricothyrotomy Simulator (D'Auria).
Current Development Status Secondary-sourced; the simulator is not independently validated in the accessible source.
Estimated Build Time and Cost Under US$50 total (D'Auria & Persia 2014[1] §2). Build time not specified in source.
Specialized Tools and Equipment Scalpel, tracheal hook, hemostat, and an endotracheal tube — the user-supplied procedure instruments (per D'Auria & Persia 2014, §2.1–2.2).
Version Version 1
Development Team Contact Information White, Bly, D'Auria, Aghdasi, Bartell, Cheng and Hannaford — BioRobotics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, USA (per White et al., 2012–2014).

Tissues

Tissue Qty Material Cost Notes
Skin 1 segment Bicycle inner tube segment — Cutaneous layer draped over the skeleton; the trainee must palpate through it to locate the membrane. Inner-tube size and grade not specified in source.
Cartilage (thyroid and cricoid) 1 set 3D-printed ABS plastic, with a mobile cricothyroid joint — Rigid laryngeal landmarks for palpation and cricothyroid-membrane identification. STL files held by the originating authors; print settings not specified in source.
Cartilage (tracheal rings) — Compliant foam — Soft rings simulating the tracheal cartilage, covered with conductive-foil sensor strips. Foam grade and ring count not specified in source.
Trachea 1 tube Thin cardboard tube — Airway wall carrying conductive-foil sensor strips; sized to an average adult trachea (source). Exact diameter, wall thickness, and length not specified in source. ⚑ Open for review: the source models laryngotracheal cartilage (trachea/larynx), not bronchial tissue — the trachea-class link is routed to Felipe for the whole cricothyrotomy cluster.


Structural Parts

Part Name Qty Material Cost Notes
Arduino Uno microcontroller board 1 Arduino Uno (Atmel ATmega328) with a mounted 8×8 LED matrix display — Reads the conductive-foil contact signals from the six sensor zones; named in D'Auria & Persia 2014 §2.1 as part of this base trainer. The Activity Detection Engine scoring software that runs on this contact data is the D'Auria & Persia (2014) overlay, documented at TissueDB/Simulators/Cricothyrotomy Simulator (D'Auria).
Conductive foil sensor strips 6 Conductive foil (grade not specified in source) — Applied at six landmarks on the trachea model (A–F); only the midline cricothyroid-membrane zone (C) is the correct incision site. The full landmark map is in the build steps.
Wooden base 1 Wood — Fixes the cartilage skeleton and supports the trachea model (per D'Auria & Persia 2014, §2.1).


Build Instructions

Phase 1: Print the Cartilage Skeleton

  1. Print the cricoid and thyroid cartilages as a single rigid ABS assembly with a mobile cricothyroid joint. STL geometry, print settings, infill, supports, and ABS grade are not recoverable from the accessible secondary source (D'Auria & Persia, 2014)[1] and remain OPEN pending access to the White et al. primary publications.
  2. Fix the printed cartilages to a wooden base so they firmly support the trachea model.

Phase 2: Prepare the Tracheal Tube and Foam Rings


Compliant foam material. White et al. (per D'Auria & Persia 2014 §2) describe using compliant foam of this type for the tracheal cartilaginous rings. Image by Achim Hering, CC BY 3.0.
  1. Obtain a thin cardboard tube to serve as the tracheal wall, sized to an average adult trachea. The exact inner diameter, wall thickness, and length are not specified in accessible source.
  2. Cut compliant-foam strips for the tracheal cartilaginous rings and attach them to the tube with appropriate spacing. Foam grade, ring count, and spacing are not specified in accessible source.
  3. Apply conductive-foil strips to the six contact zones labelled A–F per D'Auria & Persia (2014) Figure 2: (A) posterior tracheal wall; (B) right and (D) left lateral trachea and cricothyroid membrane; (C) midline cricothyroid membrane (only correct incision site); (E) cricoid cartilage; (F) cartilaginous ring of the lower tracheal wall.

Phase 3: Assemble and Wire the Model


Bicycle inner tube. White et al. (per D'Auria & Persia 2014 §2) describe draping a segment of inner tube as the skin layer over the assembled cervical-anatomy stack. Image by Oostblokblik, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  1. Assemble the ABS cartilage skeleton, cardboard tracheal tube, and foam cartilaginous rings into the cervical-anatomy stack on the wooden base.
  2. Drape a segment of bicycle inner tube over the assembled stack to form the skin layer. Inner-tube size, grade, and tensioning method are not specified in accessible source.


Arduino Uno microcontroller board. The source §2.1 names an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) with a mounted 8×8 LED matrix display as part of this base trainer, reading the six conductive-foil contact zones; the Activity Detection Engine scoring software that runs on the contact data is the D'Auria & Persia (2014) overlay. Image by Mr Revolution, CC BY 3.0.
  1. Connect each of the six conductive-foil contact zones (A–F) to inputs on the Arduino Uno microcontroller board, and wire the procedure instruments into the same circuit so that touching a foil registers as a contact event. The detailed wiring layout is not specified in accessible source.
  2. The Activity Detection Engine overlay — D'Auria & Persia (2014) Cyber Physical System scoring extension — is documented separately at TissueDB/Simulators/Cricothyrotomy Simulator (D'Auria).


Checkpoint: Assembly Verification

  • Palpate: thyroid cartilage, cricothyroid membrane, and cricoid cartilage identifiable through the bicycle-inner-tube skin — pass/fail
  • Sensor continuity: touch each of the six foil zones (A–F) in turn and verify the Arduino registers contact — pass/fail
  • Mobile joint: the cricothyroid joint flexes under palpation — pass/fail

Using the trainer

The source's intended use procedure (D'Auria & Persia 2014, §2.2):

  1. Before the first attempt, watch the New England Journal of Medicine instructional video.
  2. Palpate the cricothyroid membrane; immobilise the larynx with the non-dominant hand and perform the procedure with the dominant hand.
  3. Incise the skin (bicycle inner tube) vertically after palpating the membrane.
  4. Incise the cricothyroid membrane on the trachea model horizontally (1 cm length).
  5. Insert the tracheal hook into the cricoid cartilage.
  6. Insert the hemostat and expand the airway opening vertically and horizontally.
  7. Insert the endotracheal tube.

No Creative Commons licensed figure of this simulator is currently available. Secondary description figures in D'Auria & Persia (2014) are © IEEE All Rights Reserved. Readers with access to the White et al. 2012, 2013, or 2014 primary publications are invited to verify licensing and contribute a compatible image.



References

[1][2][3][4][5]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 D'Auria D, Persia F. "Automatic evaluation of medical doctors' performances while using a cricothyrotomy simulator." 2014 IEEE 15th International Conference on Information Reuse and Integration (IRI 2014), Redwood City, CA, 13–15 August 2014:514–519. DOI: 10.1109/IRI.2014.7051932.
  2. ↑ White L, Bly R, D'Auria D, Aghdasi N, Bartell P, Cheng L, Hannaford B. "Cricothyrotomy simulator with computational skill assessment for procedural skill training in the developing world." AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting and OTO Expo. 2013. DOI: 10.1177/0194599813495815a83.
  3. ↑ White L, Bly R, D'Auria D, Aghdasi N, Bartell P, Cheng L, Hannaford B. "Cricothyrotomy simulator with computational skill assessment for procedural skill training in the developing world." Journal of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. 2014. (Citation as reported in D'Auria & Persia (2014); independent verification of this publication venue remains outstanding.)
  4. ↑ White L, D'Auria D, Bly R, Bartell P, Aghdasi N, Jones C, Hannaford B. "Cricothyrotomy simulator training for the developing word" [sic]. 2012 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC), Seattle, WA, October 2012.
  5. ↑ Aghdasi N, Bly R, White LW, Hannaford B, Moe K, Lendvay TS. "Crowd-sourced assessment of surgical skills in cricothyrotomy procedure." Journal of Surgical Research. 2015;196(2):302–306. DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2015.03.018. PMID 25888499; PMC5945282. Validation methodology reference.




Simulator data
Alternative names UW BioRobotics Cricothyrotomy Simulator
White Cricothyrotomy Trainer



Page data
Keywords cricothyrotomy, CICO, emergency airway, surgical simulation, University of Washington, BioRobotics, White, low-cost simulator, developing world, conductive foil, Arduino, TissueDB
SDG
Authors
License CC-BY-SA-4.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 0 pages link here
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Created June 19, 2026 by Arturo Pelayo
Last edit June 19, 2026 by Arturo Pelayo
Cite as Arturopelayo (2026). "Cricothyrotomy Simulator (White UW)". Appropedia. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
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