TissueDB/Materials/Styrofoam

Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene foam) is a lightweight, compressible material used in medical simulation to simulate soft tissue layers or as a stabilisation base for workpieces. Available as tubing, blocks, and sheets.

Tissues

Tissue	Visual	Tactile	Simulator	Notes
Soft tissue (subcutaneous)			Cricothyrotomy Simulator (Aho)	Wraps around trachea model. Simulates overlying soft tissue between skin and airway structures.
Small Intestine	Partial	No	Fernandes Intra-abdominal Bleeding Simulator	Styrofoam microspheres fill fabric mesh tubes to create intestinal bulk and texture; fixed at ends only, without mesentery (Fernandes et al. 2023).^[1]
Large Bowel	Partial	No	Fernandes Intra-abdominal Bleeding Simulator	Styrofoam microspheres fill fabric mesh tubes; different colour from small intestine (Fernandes et al. 2023).^[1]

Used In Simulators

Simulator	Purpose	Notes
Grapefruit dACA Bypass Simulator	Stabilisation base; not simulated tissue	Cut block sized to stabilise the grapefruit during microsurgical bypass practice. Cikla 2020 lists "a tray, bowl, or cut piece of Styrofoam" as equivalent supports (lines 255–256).
Fernandes Intra-abdominal Bleeding Simulator	Tissue-simulating material	Styrofoam microspheres used as intestinal filling inside fabric mesh tubes to simulate small intestine and large bowel bulk and texture (Fernandes et al. 2023).^[1]
Cricothyrotomy Simulator (Aho)	Tissue-simulating material	Styrofoam tubing wraps around the cardboard tracheal core to simulate the soft tissue layer between skin and airway structures (Aho et al. 2015).

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Fernandes CO, Rodrigues LR, Silva do Amaral MLBS, de Morais Rodrigues SJ, Marton-Filho MA. Low-cost simulator for intra-abdominal bleeding. Rev Col Bras Cir 2023;50:e20233512. DOI: 10.1590/0100-6991e-20233512-en. PMID: 37971114. PMC: PMC10618030.

At a Glance

Overview

Synonyms

Common names: Polystyrene foam, EPS foam, expanded polystyrene, polystyrene board

Trade: Styropor (DE)

Regional: espuma de poliestireno (ES), polystyrène expansé (FR), polistirolo espanso (IT), piepschuim (NL)

Background

Clinical Context for Simulation

Processing & Preparation

Safety Considerations

Related Materials

Page data
Keywords	styrofoam, polystyrene, foam, soft tissue simulation, TissueDB
SDG
Authors	Arturopelayo
License	CC-BY-SA-4.0
Language	English (en)
Related	0 subpages, 2 pages link here
Redirects	TissueDB/Materials/Styrene Foam
Views	3 page views (analytics)
Created	April 3, 2026 by Arturo Pelayo
Last edit	May 20, 2026 by Arturo Pelayo
Cite as	Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Materials/Styrofoam". Appropedia. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
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Page data
Keywords	styrofoam, polystyrene foam, soft tissue simulation, surgical simulation material, TissueDB
SDG
Authors	Arturopelayo
License	CC-BY-SA-4.0
Language	English (en)
Related	0 subpages, 2 pages link here
Redirects	TissueDB/Materials/Styrene Foam
Views	3 page views (analytics)
Created	April 3, 2026 by Arturo Pelayo
Last edit	May 20, 2026 by Arturo Pelayo
Cite as	Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Materials/Styrofoam". Appropedia. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
API queries	basic, semantic, html, files, more

[fernandes2023-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Fernandes CO, Rodrigues LR, Silva do Amaral MLBS, de Morais Rodrigues SJ, Marton-Filho MA. Low-cost simulator for intra-abdominal bleeding. Rev Col Bras Cir 2023;50:e20233512. DOI: 10.1590/0100-6991e-20233512-en. PMID: 37971114. PMC: PMC10618030.

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