TissueDB/Materials/Plastic Sheet
Plastic Sheet is the class of thin, flexible sheet materials used in surgical simulation as skin, membrane and outer-layer stand-ins. It covers four sheet families: vinyl (polyvinyl chloride, PVC — a synthetic plastic sheeting sold as upholstery vinyl, vinyl fabric, or faux leather / pleather); polyurethane (PU) sheet; rubber sheet, natural or synthetic (neoprene, nitrile, EPDM); and thin latex sheet — natural rubber latex, the elastic sheet form made from the sap of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), which also reaches the bench ready-made as a latex glove. A membrane here means a sheet thin enough to stretch and hold a suture without a backing layer. Sold as: vinyl sheet, PVC sheet, vinyl fabric, faux leather, pleather, polyurethane sheet, rubber sheet, latex sheet, natural rubber latex and latex gloves — from craft, fabric, hardware and upholstery suppliers, with gloves from pharmacies and medical suppliers. Work it by cutting to size with scissors or a rotary cutter and layering it as an outermost skin or a suspended membrane; cut about 1 cm larger than the opening it covers so the edges can be secured. Caveat — latex allergy: natural rubber latex can cause allergic reactions in sensitised people; screen participants and offer a latex-free alternative (nitrile, vinyl or silicone) where latex allergy is a concern. Tubing is a separate class: latex, vinyl and PVC are also sold as hollow tube, and those builds belong to Plastic Tubing — the form is the class, the wall material is secondary.
Tissues
| Tissue | Visual | Tactile | Simulator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin | Appendectomy Simulator, Open Appendectomy Simulator (Matthews) | As vinyl (PVC) sheet — the outermost skin layer of a layered abdominal-wall model, cut about 1 cm larger than the container on all sides so the edges can be clipped and secured. In the Appendectomy Simulator the vinyl is cut 1 cm larger than the top of the 10 × 10 × 20 cm plastic container on all four sides, assembled coloured-side-down, and then used as the template for every layer beneath it.[1] In the Open Appendectomy Simulator (Matthews) it is the outermost of an eight-layer abdominal-wall analogue, each layer cut approximately 1 cm larger than the edges of the plastic container on all sides.[2] | ||
| Dura Mater | Lumbar Laminectomy and Dural Closure Simulator (Bakhshi) | As a latex glove (a thin natural-rubber latex membrane) — pasted over a window cut in the middle of a 5 cc plastic syringe and placed beneath the laminectomy site, so that once the lamina is removed the trainee sutures it closed with 6-0 Prolene under the microscope as a dura mater stand-in.[3] | ||
| Cooper's Ligament | Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernioplasty TAPP 3D Simulator (Pires de Melo Filho) | As synthetic rubber — fixed very close to the hernial defect on the 3D-printed pelvis to stand in for Cooper's ligament, chosen because it is firm enough to hold stapler tackers so the mesh can be fixed as in the real procedure. The source names the material only as "synthetic rubber" and does not state its form or thickness, so no sheet gauge is given here.[4] |
Troubleshooting
- Incision and cutting practice — Rubber and latex sheet do not cut like tissue and give an unrealistic resistance to a blade. Use a castable silicone or a gelatin block where the training goal is the incision itself.
- Suture holding under tension — Some rubber and thin latex sheet tears around suture holes when the line is put under tension. Test suture retention on an offcut before the session rather than during it.
- Latex-allergic participants — Screen participants; substitute vinyl, nitrile or silicone sheet, which serve the same layering role without the allergy risk.
- Ageing stock — Natural rubber and latex sheet yellow, harden and lose elasticity with UV and ozone exposure; a brittle sheet will split rather than stretch. Store flat and dark, and replace perished stock.
References
[edit source]- ↑ ASAP (AMPATH Surgical App) team. Instructions to Build your Model, ASAP Syllabus. Global Surgical Training Challenge. ASAP build instructions. Not indexed in PubMed; primary source linked directly.
- ↑ Matthews J, Bhatia MB, Thomas C, Okoth P, Martinez CR, Levy JS, Stefanidis D, Hunter-Squires JL, Saruni SI. AMPATH surgical app: Low-cost simulator for the open appendectomy. Surgery 2022;172(6):1656-1664. DOI: 10.1016/j.surg.2022.07.023. PMID: 36123174.
- ↑ Bakhshi SK, Ahmad R, Merchant AAH, Noorali AA, Abdul Rahim K, Shaikh NQ, Afzal N, Lakhdir MPA, Shamim MS, Haider AH. Development, outcome and costs of a simulation-based neurosurgery bootcamp at the national level. BMC Medical Education 2022;22:896. DOI: 10.1186/s12909-022-03965-9. PMID: 36578075. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
- ↑ Pires de Melo Filho L, Mano Almeida A, Marcal de Barros Filho E, de Oliveira Borges GC. Simulated training model in a low cost for laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty. Acta Cirurgica Brasileira 2021;36(1):e360108. DOI: 10.1590/ACB360108. PMID: 33605310. PMC: PMC7892193. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
Overview
[edit source]Sold by the yard or metre off a roll and in pre-cut craft packs. Upholstery vinyl and faux leather are typically 90–140 cm wide; craft and hobby rubber and latex sheet are commonly 0.1–1.0 mm thick. Budget roughly US$5–15 per yard for upholstery vinyl or faux leather and US$8–20 for a small craft rubber or latex sheet, with latex examination gloves a few US cents each by the box — these are Amazon-benchmark estimates for planning, not prices stated by any simulator source. Stocked by craft and fabric shops, hardware and upholstery suppliers and general online retailers. Store flat or loosely rolled, away from heat, direct sunlight and ozone: vinyl and polyurethane keep for years, while natural rubber and latex yellow, harden and lose elasticity with age.
Synonyms
[edit source]Common: plastic sheet, vinyl, vinyl sheet, PVC sheet, vinyl fabric, faux leather, pleather; rubber, rubber sheet, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, neoprene, nitrile rubber, EPDM; polyurethane, PU, polyurethane sheet; latex, latex sheet, latex glove, natural rubber latex, natural latex, latex rubber, rubber latex. Regional: vinilo, goma, caucho (ES); borracha (PT); caoutchouc (FR); Kunstleder, Kautschuk (DE).
Clinical Context for Simulation
[edit source]Processing & Preparation
[edit source]Safety Considerations
[edit source]Related Materials
[edit source]- Plastic Tubing — the hollow-tube form of the same wall materials (latex, vinyl, PVC); tube builds belong there, not here.
- Glove — ready-made gloves and glove fingers used as sacs, bowel and vessel surrogates.
- Plastic Film — thinner cling-film and wrap used for fascial and peritoneal layers.
- Doll or manikin — moulded vinyl dolls used as a whole body base.
| Authors | Arturopelayo |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Materials/Plastic Sheet". Appropedia. Retrieved July 22, 2026. |