Abstract
Introduction: Suturing is an important surgical procedure in which tissue margins are joined after incision or laceration, it is a fundamental medical skill and requires extensive practice to improvement, especially during the medical educational process. In the Basic Surgical Skills Course training suture is one of the foundations to learn hospital procedure techniques, that are essential during the routine of a medical professional. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the capability that EVA, eggplant, elastic tape, and chicken thigh must mimic basic surgical scenarios and replace expensive materials during the medical education of undergraduates and the development of the skills needed as future health professionals. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive observational study, which evaluated students during the surgical skills class to perform suture practice on materials such as EVA, eggplant, elastic tape, and chicken thigh. Results: The materials were evaluated as useful components for training suturing practice. However, eggplant, and elastic tape were considered superior materials. Furthermore, practicality of use correlated with greater instrumental knowledge. Conclusions: The use of alternative materials for training surgical sutures is more accessible because of the low cost, however the results represent a prototype of an analysis that requires an expansion in the number of samples to better determine the cause-effect conditions.