RFDS highlights new sim tech

Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service has highlighted new medical simulator technology it has acquired to help train its crews. The air ambulance provider has taken delivery of Apollo, which it described as a state-of-the-art male medical mannequin, along with a female called Lucina.

Dr Andy Caldin of the RFDS South Eastern Section explained: “Medical simulators have been around for decades, but advances in technology have made them even more lifelike and sophisticated. Lucina, named after the Greek (sic) goddess of childbirth, can actually give birth by way of a complex mechanism inside the abdomen. This allows us to simulate everything from a normal delivery to complicated, life-threatening scenarios for both mother and baby. This is vital training for our flight nurses, who are all trained midwives.”

Caldin hit the headlines earlier this year for building a suction assisted laryngoscopy airway decontamination device (SALAD), nicknamed the ‘vomiting doll’. He commented: “As we demonstrated with the SALAD mannequin, the ability to put medical staff in critical situations and then re-evaluate their performance after the event makes these simulators an incredibly valuable training tool. They will help our medical teams to develop and maintain their medical skills in readiness for real-life emergencies.”

Medical staff at Broken Hill Base were able to see Apollo close-up at a full simulation demonstration and training session. They were shown how the software that controls these models can mimic the physiology and pathology of real-life patients. Caldin said: “We mocked up an emergency situation following a car accident that allowed us to test our medical skills and procedures under pressure.”