Fresh Tissue Lab

Fresh tissue laboratory facilities
Physicians and nurses in training

Fresh Tissue Facility

Highlighted features of the facility:

  • Scalable rooms for both small and large courses
  • Onsite tissue preparation and storage
  • Four laparoscopic towers
  • C-arm fluoroscope
  • Complete room AV connectivity within the facility
    • AV connectivity to auditorium within the same building as the facility
    • AV connectivity to four auditorium or classroom sites at Jewish and Norton Hospitals with access through these hospitals to satellite up-links

Learning & Re-Learning Anatomy

The vast majority of work performed in the fresh tissue facility is done by surgeons in training for the purpose of re-learning the anatomy of a particular area and/or for training of specific surgical procedures.  Studies are typically done by individuals or by small groups of two or three individuals.  In addition, some residency programs run frequent scheduled dissection seminars for groups of 5-10 post-graduates.  Larger training courses, such as laparoscopic pelvic surgery and upper fixation workshops, have also been held in the facility.
Recent post-graduate training users of the fresh tissue facility:

UofL College of Medicine
  • Surgery
    • Division of Hand Surgery
    • Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
    • Division of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
    • Division of General Surgery
    • Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
  • Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Women’s Health
    • Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
    • Division of General Obstetrics & Gynecology – Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery
  • Neurosurgery
  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
  • Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
UofL Trauma Institute (nurse training for advanced life support)
  • Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program (UofL/Jewish Hospital)
UofL College of Dentistry
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  • Orthodontics
Norton Audubon
  • Podiatry
Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Healthcare (affiliated with UofL)
  • Podiatry

Professionals participating in a class in the fresh tissue laboratory

The fresh tissue facility has also hosted programs for training medics from Ft. Knox and for practicing dentists via the Academy of General Dentistry.  Beginning in the fall of 2013, the facility will also be hosting the first year students from the Physician Assistant program at Sullivan University.

Research

The facility provides the setting for research studies in surgical anatomy and for the development of new techniques and/or devices.  This has led to important collaborations between UofL surgeons and surgical equipment companies, especially in the fields of cardiovascular, spine, and hand surgery.   
Peer reviewed publications arising from the fresh tissue facility have included:

  • Studies on collateral blood supply of the sternum
  • Fine details of hand innervation
  • Anatomy of donor sites for free tissue transfer
  • Surgical anatomy of new procedures for neosphincter reconstruction

Facility Requests

Nicole Herring, PhD To request the use of the fresh tissue facility, please contact Dr. Nicole Herring (nrherr01@louisville.edu or 502-852-2024).