In neonatal surgery, precision is not simply a technical requirement; it is central to how surgeons prepare for procedures involving some of their youngest and most vulnerable patients. Developing the skills needed for minimally invasive operations requires specialised training, careful coordination and an understanding of anatomy on an exceptionally small scale. For Slovak paediatric surgeon and university lecturer Dr. Petra Zahradníková, this challenge has become an opportunity to rethink how surgical skills can be practised.

Together with materials scientist Dr. Zdenko Špitalský, Zahradníková is developing InfantSim, a 3D-printed simulator designed to support training in minimally invasive surgery for newborns. The project brings clinical experience into conversation with polymer science and advanced manufacturing, aiming to create a specialised training environment that reflects the demands of neonatal procedures more closely than a generic model can.

InfantSim received the Audience Award at Challenger Science in 2024 and subsequently attracted further recognition through innovation programmes. Its development illustrates how a practical challenge identified in healthcare can inspire collaboration across disciplines. For Zahradníková, the project connects her work as a surgeon and educator with a broader ambition: exploring how carefully designed training tools can help prepare medical professionals for complex clinical tasks.

Dr. Petra Zahradníková works at the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, and the National Institute of Children's Diseases in Bratislava. Her professional responsibilities span clinical practice, university teaching and research, placing her at the intersection of patient care and medical education.

These roles provide important context for understanding her work beyond the operating theatre. A practising surgeon must apply specialised knowledge in real clinical situations, while an educator must help the next generation of doctors develop the understanding and technical skills needed to perform safely. Both responsibilities require attention to how knowledge is acquired, practised and translated into action.

Medical training is particularly demanding when procedures involve newborns. The anatomy is delicate, the working space is limited and the instruments must be handled with exceptional control. The opportunity to practise relevant techniques in a structured environment is therefore an important part of professional preparation. Yet developing an appropriate training model requires more than reproducing the appearance of an anatomical structure; it also requires consideration of how the model will be used during learning.

InfantSim sits within this broader challenge. Rather than treating technology as an end in itself, the project starts from a specific area of surgical education and explores how a specialised simulator might support it. This connection between clinical experience and product development is what makes Zahradníková's story particularly relevant to the wider field of healthcare innovation.

Her work also demonstrates how innovation can emerge from the questions professionals encounter in their everyday roles. Clinicians understand the practical demands of their field, but turning those observations into a useful tool often requires collaboration with researchers, engineers and manufacturing specialists. InfantSim brings these different perspectives together around a clearly defined educational objective.

Minimally invasive surgery allows surgeons to perform procedures through small incisions using specialised instruments and visual guidance. Although this approach can offer important clinical advantages in appropriate cases, it requires specific technical skills. Surgeons must coordinate their movements, interpret visual information and manipulate instruments accurately, sometimes while working within a very restricted anatomical space.

These demands become especially pronounced in neonatal surgery. Newborns have small anatomical structures, and the dimensions of the working environment leave little room for imprecise movements. Training must therefore help clinicians develop control, spatial awareness and familiarity with the techniques and instruments used in these procedures.

Traditional education includes observation, supervised clinical experience and practical training. Simulation can complement these methods by providing an environment in which learners practise selected tasks before applying them in patient care. It can also offer opportunities to repeat a technique, review performance and build familiarity with equipment without using a patient as the training environment.

However, a simulator is only useful to the extent that it supports the skills being taught. A model designed for general surgical practice may not reproduce the scale, anatomy or physical characteristics relevant to neonatal procedures. A specialised model must be developed around the intended learning objectives and assessed to determine how well it serves them.

This is the problem InfantSim seeks to address. Its focus on minimally invasive neonatal surgery reflects the need for training resources designed around a specific clinical context. The aim is not to replace supervised education or clinical judgement, but to explore whether a more tailored physical model can give trainees additional opportunities to practise relevant techniques in a controlled setting.

InfantSim brings together paediatric surgical knowledge and materials research to develop a 3D-printed simulator for training in minimally invasive neonatal surgery. The project is a collaboration between Zahradníková, whose clinical experience helps define the training requirements, and Dr. Zdenko Špitalský of the Polymer Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, whose expertise in polymer science contributes to the development of the model and its materials.

The distinction between a generic training model and a specialised simulator lies in how closely its design relates to the task being practised. For neonatal surgery, anatomical scale, access points and the physical behaviour of materials can all affect how a model is used. A carefully designed simulator must consider not only how the anatomy looks, but also whether the model can support the relevant movements and techniques during training.

Three-dimensional printing provides a way to create physical structures with carefully defined shapes and dimensions. When combined with synthetic materials, it can support the development of models tailored to particular educational needs. In InfantSim's case, the aim is to create a training tool that reflects selected anatomical and practical aspects of neonatal minimally invasive surgery more closely than a general-purpose model might.

The collaboration is important because no single discipline can answer every design question. Clinical expertise helps identify which procedures and skills matter. Materials research contributes to decisions about the physical model. Engineering and manufacturing considerations influence how the simulator can be produced, assembled and adapted. Bringing these perspectives together allows the team to approach the project as both a medical education challenge and a product-development process.

The broader development plans described for InfantSim also include modular anatomical components and potential sensor-based or AI-assisted feedback. Such features could support more structured assessment of a trainee's performance, but their status should be described carefully: planned capabilities and prototypes are not the same as fully validated tools in routine clinical use.

This distinction matters in medical innovation. A promising concept must be developed, tested and evaluated before its effectiveness can be established. A simulator may be technically sophisticated, but its educational value ultimately depends on whether it supports meaningful learning objectives and meets the needs of the professionals who use it.

InfantSim therefore represents more than the application of 3D printing to healthcare. It illustrates how a clinical training requirement can guide collaboration between medicine and materials science, with the aim of creating a specialised tool for a demanding area of surgical education.

InfantSim gained wider attention in December 2024, when Zahradníková received the Audience Award at Challenger Science, an experiential programme for scientists and students organised by Civitta and the ESET Foundation. The recognition brought attention to a project that connects a specific medical training challenge with an emerging technological approach.

The project subsequently reached further milestones. InfantSim received the Public Choice Award at Startup Awards Slovakia 2025 and was selected as a finalist for the EIT Health InnoStars Awards 2025. In 2026, it was selected for the European Innovation Council's EIC Pre-Accelerator programme, providing a further opportunity to develop the project. These milestones represent different forms of recognition and support, rather than a single sequence of clinical approvals.

For a research-led innovation, visibility can help communicate the purpose of a project to audiences beyond its immediate professional community. Awards and programme selections can also create opportunities to connect with potential partners, mentors and support networks. They do not, however, establish that a medical device has already demonstrated clinical effectiveness.

The distinction is particularly important for healthcare technology. A concept must progress through development and appropriate evaluation before its performance and educational value can be confidently established. Recognition can mark progress in that journey, but it is only one part of a longer process.

In InfantSim's case, the milestones provide evidence of continued interest in the project and its development potential. The next question is how the team will translate that interest into a well-developed training resource, supported by appropriate testing and practical feedback from its intended users.

The potential value of InfantSim lies in its ability to support a more specialised approach to surgical preparation. If developed and evaluated successfully, a simulator tailored to neonatal procedures could give trainees additional opportunities to practise selected techniques, become familiar with relevant instruments and receive structured feedback before applying those skills in clinical settings.

Achieving that potential requires more than producing a physical model. The team must establish whether the simulator accurately supports its intended training tasks, gather feedback from clinicians and educators, and evaluate how it fits into existing teaching methods. Questions of usability, durability, cost and access may also influence whether the tool can be adopted by training institutions.

The project's interdisciplinary foundation offers a useful starting point for this work. Zahradníková brings the perspective of a practising paediatric surgeon and educator, while Špitalský contributes expertise in materials research. Their collaboration demonstrates how healthcare challenges can benefit when clinical knowledge and scientific development are brought together early in the innovation process.

The wider lesson extends beyond one simulator. Medical professionals often encounter practical challenges that can be difficult to address through clinical expertise alone. Working with researchers and engineers can help transform those observations into tools that can be designed, tested and refined. The process requires patience and evidence, particularly when the intended application concerns patient care.

For Zahradníková, InfantSim connects her clinical and academic responsibilities with an effort to explore new possibilities in medical education. Its future impact will depend on continued development and validation, but the underlying approach is clear: identify a specific need, bring the right expertise together and develop a solution that can be evaluated against real training requirements.

Through BritishPEDIA Showcase, her story highlights the role of clinicians not only as practitioners, but also as contributors to research and innovation. It is a reminder that progress in healthcare can begin with a practical question—and grow through collaboration, careful testing and a commitment to better preparation.