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    Advanced simulation technology helps students and residents prepare for the unexpected

    Advanced simulation technology helps students and residents prepare for the unexpected

    Photo By Amabilia Payen | Capt. Eric Wang (middle), nurse anesthetist, William Beaumont Army Medical Center,...... read more read more

    FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

    02.09.2022

    Story by Amabilia Payen 

    William Beaumont Army Medical Center

    FORT BLISS, Texas – On Feb. 9, physicians, nurse anesthetists, operating room technicians, and general surgery residents at William Beaumont Army Medical Center participated in an exercise involving the most advanced healthcare simulation technology in the Department of Defense.

    Medical professionals ran a multi-disciplinary simulation using a human patient simulator, involving a complex situation, which developed rapidly into an emergency. The team had to work through the emergent situation and appropriately diagnose and treat the patient.

    The human patient simulator was programed to be an older man that came in for an orthopedic procedure. As the staff prepared for the surgery, the patient had a nerve block that affected one of his lungs, causing the patient to go into respiratory distress.

    “Help, I can’t breathe,” said the mannequin on the operating bed. “I am having trouble breathing.”

    Capt. Eric Wang, nurse anesthetist, leaned in to listen to the simulated patient and reassured him that everything was going to be okay and to try to remain calm.

    “I can’t breathe, I am having trouble breathing,” continued the patient. Wang found himself in charge of the emergent situation and told staff in the operating room that action had to be taken. The OR team decided to intubate him.

    Once intubated, the patient’s blood pressure dropped, and readings indicated something was wrong. The team surmised that the patient was suffering a pneumothorax, as he had a history of severe COPD. The team treated the pneumothorax, successfully completing the scenario.

    The team recounted the emergent situation and discussed what actions could be taken in an emergency situation such as the one they just experienced.

    Capt. Susan Schultz, chief general surgery resident, felt that running through a simulation like that is a great opportunity to practice skills, teamwork and communication to tune their practice.

    “Not only are we becoming stronger as providers, but stronger as leaders and able to take charge of a room and act in emergent situations,” said Schultz.

    Mitchell Puschett, anesthesiologist, did not participate directly, but watched the team through the windows that separated the simulation operating room and the classroom.

    “I thought everyone did very well,” said Puschett. “You are never perfect and you always want to get better, but I didn’t see any obvious flaws.”
    Wang, who became the leader in the situation, felt the simulation made him feel different.

    “I’m used to kind of being the lone wolf, almost. I function independently,” said Wang. “(The simulation) was like a second set of hands or another brain so to speak. Just somebody that can help and come in and think of other differentials or something else that might be wrong or going wrong. It’s like a collegial environment, where somebody comes in and is sharing the responsibilities.”

    “Practicing in a simulation environment comes along with challenges, but the team did very well,” said Maj. Daniel Comerci, anesthesiologist and medical director of the WBAMC simulation program. “They had excellent communication and responded appropriately. They exhibited great teamwork.”

    Comerci states that the simulation provides an excellent opportunity for anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, and student nurse anesthetists to be presented with somewhat rare and very serious clinical situations.

    “A lot of these situations we don’t see often in the operating room,” said Comerci. “When we do see them, they can be very dangerous, so we have to respond appropriately and very quickly to prevent patient harm and even patient death.”

    According to Comerci, having an environment where medical professionals can learn and practice safely really helps providers grow and become better physicians and nurses, to care for military personnel and beneficiaries.

    Simulation also improves readiness by allowing professionals to practice critical tasks such as arterial lines and chest tubes in critical emergencies.

    “The simulation can be repetition for our staff,” said Comerci.

    Comerci said the goal of the program is to eventually run a full simulation once a month, to provide regular exposure. This level of frequency will meet Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesia (MOCA) standards and allow the WBAMC simulation program to become MOCA certified.

    WBAMC’s simulation center is accredited in teaching and education by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). Accreditation sets WBAMC apart from other simulation centers because the hospital has demonstrated learning opportunities that align with the highest academic standards in medical education and simulation in the country.

    The SSH accreditation also demonstrates that WBAMC is successfully integrating technology rich environments to meet training needs and enhance patient care and readiness.

    “Having a high-fidelity trainer like this definitely helps to see (an emergency) before it actually happens,” said Wang. “I consider myself a young provider. Having newer providers see it first hand before it happens definitely helps.”

    “The human patient simulator we have right now is the most advanced simulation capability in the DoD,” said Comerci. “Becoming a MOCA certified center would allow anesthesiologists to get credit that would apply to their certification.”

    WBAMC’s simulation center will one day integrate augmented reality. According to Comerci, the exercise was a stepping stone towards the future in building a very active simulation center.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.09.2022
    Date Posted: 02.23.2022 14:41
    Story ID: 415139
    Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US
    Hometown: EL PASO, TX, US
    Hometown: FORT BLISS, TX, US

    Web Views: 496
    Downloads: 0

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