TissueDB/Materials/Zip tie
A zip tie (cable tie) is a one-way ratcheting nylon strap that is threaded, pulled tight and locked, and it appears in TissueDB builds in two quite different jobs. In four of the five builds recorded below it is a fastener: it holds a trachea to its cradle, a rib set to a shell, a pair of tubes inside a stomach, or a hose to a frame, and it imitates no tissue. In the fifth it is a landmark: Aho et al. (2015) place one circumferentially around the Styrofoam airway to stand in for the cricoid cartilage, the lower palpable ring a trainee feels for before cutting.[1] Its useful properties in both roles are the same — it tightens to a chosen tension and stays there, it can be cut off and replaced cheaply, and it presents a firm raised ring under a covering layer. Kattan et al. (2019) record the reusability cost directly, at about US$0.1 per use for the two ties consumed per procedure.[2] Kumar and Kumar (2024) note the tension trade-off that governs the fastener role: enough to stop the part moving, not enough to collapse it.[3]
Tissues
| Tissue | Visual | Tactile | Simulator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cricoid cartilage | Cricothyrotomy Simulator (Aho) | Placed circumferentially around the Styrofoam tubing just below the cardboard thyroid cartilage, as the lower (inferior) palpable laryngeal landmark. The source states that "a zip tie was placed circumferentially around the Styrofoam inferior to the 'thyroid cartilage' to simulate the cricoid cartilage". One per build; no per-item price is given, and the whole trainer is costed at under US$0.10.[1] | ||
| (Structural fastener — holds the trachea; not a tissue simulant) | Bronchoscopy-Guided Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy Simulator (Kattan) | Two per procedure, about US$0.1 per use. Threaded through four 5 mm holes drilled 1 cm from the edges of the small half-pipe, fastening the trachea to it with enough tension to stop horizontal traction during the procedure without collapsing the trachea. They are loosened between iterations so the trachea can be repositioned 2.5 cm inferiorly, which is what lets one trachea serve six iterations.[2] | ||
| (Structural fastener — seals the tube exits; not a tissue simulant) | Suction-Assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination Simulator (Kumar) | Two standard cable ties securing the delivery and drainage tubes at the distal stomach of the modified airway trainer, so the pressurised contaminant does not leak. The source names them among the locally available items the build is made from. No per-item price is stated.[3] | ||
| (Structural fastener — anchors the rib set; not a tissue simulant) | Emergency Department Thoracotomy Simulator (Misra) | Plastic zip ties, quantity given only as "as required", holding the anatomical rib set to the shell at the anchor points for the left 4th, 5th and 6th intercostal spaces. The rib set is the anchor the rib retractor is spread against, so the ties carry the retraction load. No per-item price is stated.[4] | ||
| (Structural fastener — routes the fluid hose; not a tissue simulant) | Tourniquet Simulator | Plastic cable ties securing the latex hose at three points along the mechanical frame, holding it in the compression zone. The build guide carries an explicit caution not to overtighten: the ties should hold the hose in position without restricting fluid flow when no tourniquet is applied.[5] The page's costing cites a 200-pack of 4-inch nylon cable ties as the retail reference.[6] |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Aho JM, Thiels CA, AlJamal YN, Ruparel RK, Rowse PG, Heller SF, Farley DR. "Every Surgical Resident Should Know How to Perform a Cricothyrotomy: An Inexpensive Cricothyrotomy Task Trainer for Teaching and Assessing Surgical Trainees." Journal of Surgical Education 2015;72(4):658–661. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2014.12.012. PMID: 25703738.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kattan E, Vera M, Putz F, Corvetto M, De la Fuente R, Bravo S (2019). "Design and Evaluation of a Low-Cost Bronchoscopy-Guided Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy Simulator." Simulation in Healthcare 14(6):415–419. DOI: 10.1097/SIH.0000000000000399. PMID: 31804426.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kumar R, Kumar R. An Indigenous Suction-assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination Simulation System. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine 2024;28(7):702–705. DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10071-24760. PMID: 38994267. PMC: PMC11234124. Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0.
- ↑ Misra A, Chapman A, Watson WD, Bach JA, Bonta MJ, Elliott JO, Dominguez EP (2024). "Use of Low-Cost Task Trainer for Emergency Department Thoracotomy Training in General Surgery Residency Program." Journal of Surgical Education 81(1):134–144. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.09.009. PMID: 37926660.
- ↑ CrashSavers Trauma/Tourniquet/Simulator. Appropedia. Available at: https://www.appropedia.org/CrashSavers_Trauma/Tourniquet/Simulator
- ↑ Walmart, Bates Cable Zip Ties 200-pack 4-inch nylon, retail price retrieved 10 May 2026.
| Authors | Arturopelayo |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Materials/Zip tie". Appropedia. Retrieved August 18, 2026. |