Use of the human patient simulator to teach veterinary medicine students

Abstract

Simulators developed at Stanford University and at the University of Florida permit students and physicians to administer anesthesia in real time. The patient has breath sounds, a heartbeat, pulses, neuromuscular transmission and produces urine. The patient can be monitored with an electrocardiogram; arterial, venous and pulmonary pressures; pulse oximetry; temperature; respiratory gases and cardiac output. The instructor can instantly program the patient, anesthesia machine and monitors to react to complications such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, laryngospasm, endobronchial intubation, pulmonary edema, atelectasis, tension pneumothorax, bronchospasm, hemorrhage, shock, heart failure, malignant hyperthermia, excessive anesthetic depth, anaphylaxis, ventricular tachycardia and cardiac arrest.