Caring for manikins

Abstract

Whilst attending the recent meeting of the Difficult Airway Society in Dublin I heard a paper on the use of various new airway devices, all of which had been tried on airway simulation manikins. The author mentioned that Ethics Committee approval had been sought and granted prior to the start of the study. During discussion of the paper the need for ethics approval for manikin studies was questioned and a senior member of the profession stated that the approval was for the protection of the volunteers involved in the study and that the manikins do not need protection! I was shocked by this attitude and in the interest of, and on behalf of these selfless manikins, I intend to set up an organisation to defend their interests. I appeal to all like minded humanitarian (or should it be manikiniterian?) anaesthetists to join my newly formed Society for the Protection of Airway Manikins, to be known as SPAM.