title: The use of chicken legs for teaching wound closure skills.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Training models are required to impart surgical skills, like wound closure techniques, prior to practice in patients. In an ideal case, the tissue characteristics of the model are close to those of humans, easy to create and of low cost.
  
  
  METHODS
  Here, we describe a model to train students in wound closure technique using conventional chicken legs obtained from the supermarket.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The described model has good tissue characteristics, does not require any lavish preparation and is of minimal cost (0.62 Euro or 0.78 USD).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chicken legs appear to be an appropriate tool for teaching wound closure techniques.
authors.affiliation: Division of General and Visceral Surgery, Department of Surgery, Downtown Medical Centre, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany. philipe.khalil@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siebeck
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mutschler
authors.forename: K-G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Kanz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005121:Extremities; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000601:surgery*