Level EX, a company founded by Sam Glassenberg, promises to deliver the excellence of video game development to the field of surgical simulation, and the result is impressive. Their first mobile application Airway EX (Android | iOS) is designed to teach the fundamentals of diagnostic and interventional endoscopy in the airway. The application seamlessly guides you first through tutorials and then cases, reportedly based on real cases submitted by clinicians. You can even earn continuing medical education (CME) credits as you explore various cases.
As a surgical resident, currently enrolled in Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery and SAGES Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery, I can speak from experience that simulation-based training is invaluable. However, spending time with simulators is challenging with busy clinical schedules. Many current solutions require expensive, centralized hardware that is often inaccessible to small training programs and individual clinicians. It is refreshing to see Level EX democratizing surgical simulation through on-demand mobile platforms.
For now, Airway EX immerses you in a beautiful, realistic virtual environment. Its only limitation is that it doesn’t allow you to feel the challenges of manipulating endoscopic equipment in your hands (although I can’t imagine that this is too far off).
I can’t wait to see what Sam and his team focus on next.
Here’s a short video introducing the Airway EX:
