Patient simulators have been around for a long time, but with limitations. Some don鈥檛 have much to say. And they may have a face like a child鈥檚 doll.
But the versatile artificial patients at the are different. They can react as they are treated and the manufacturer has even made their faces look real.
Called the SimMan 3G Plus patient simulators, they鈥檙e made by Laerdal Medical. Priced at $100,000 apiece, these mannequins simulate men, women, children, and infants, including a fetus emerging into the world (pushed by an electric motor).
鈥淭hey鈥檙e trying to make the outside look more realistic now,鈥 says , the technical lab assistant in the School of Medicine鈥檚 .
No passive objects, these simulators react.
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Real clinical devices, such as a defib颅rillator, can shock SimMan鈥檚 heart back into rhythm
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Interchangeable head skins can quickly and easily be switched between patients.
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Fluids and medications can be injected into the patient simulator.
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SimMom replicates all stages of labour, training students in standard deliveries as well as life-threatening emergencies.
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Monitoring the SimMan 3G Plus.
鈥淚t can have a seizure, and you feel that,鈥 says Mr. Babcock, describing how SimMan鈥檚 eyes close and his body shakes. 鈥淥r there are pulses all through his entire body 鈥 carotid pulses on his neck鈥 or femoral pulses on his groin. He even has pedal pulses on his feet.鈥
Mr. Babcock, as SimMan鈥檚 operator, answers a doctor鈥檚 questions via a speaker inside the mannequin, for instance: 鈥淥h, I鈥檓 having chest pain, really sharp pain in this part of my chest!鈥
鈥淚 think it makes it more believable that it鈥檚 a real patient in distress, and helps with the suspension of disbelief,鈥 he says.
Some of SimMan鈥檚 body parts are meant to be replaced. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an airway emergency where they would actually cut into the neck,鈥 and that section is replaceable.
Intubating and ventilators are another mainstay area. Staff from Kingston General Hospital have been coming in to practise these techniques during the COVID-19 era.
鈥淚t was a safe place for them to practise. People can just walk back and forth quickly,鈥 Mr. Babcock explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 used by a variety of people, from undergrad medicine to residents to staff who have been practising for 20 years, and even outside groups such as the military.鈥
The simulator is even built to withstand the full electric shock of a defibrillator. 鈥淸It鈥檚] part of the reason why he鈥檚 so expensive.鈥
As for durability, each mannequin counts how many chest compressions they have endured. Some have reached 500,000 or 600,000 and are still running after 12 years.
