The Future of Anesthesiology Medicine

Young doctors in training are relying more and more on the use of futuristic technology to help them get ready for the medicine they'll be practicing down the road.

The Clinical Simulation Center at the University of Missouri (MU) School of Medicine is at the forefront of using advanced technology to provide a realistic learning environment for anesthesiology residents, via a sophisticated medical mannequin by the name of “Russ” that can mimic a wide range of physical responses physicians are likely to encounter in a clinical setting. Russ (real name: Stan D. Ardman) is made by Medical Education Technologies, Inc. Here’s a link to a fact sheet about this medical mannequin: http://www.meti.com/downloads/HPS_FACT_SHEET.pdf.

"[Russ’] body responds physiologically correct, so every time, even though we're doing the same scenario, always something different happens,” said Robin Wootten, director of MU’s Clinical Simulation Center. “His blood pressure may go up, it may go down and that requires that the student to intervene."

Russ reacts to the medications that students administer to him in an extremely realistic manner, and the monitors and other equipment used in conjunction with Russ to train future anesthesiologists are identical to those utilized in everyday practice, enabling training to accurately reflect real life. Russ reacts to drugs just like a human would; he breathes, has a pulse, and can answer questions, plus he can “die” over and over again. In all, Russ can embody 70 characteristics and patient health conditions simulated by computer.

More information can be found on medical simulation at http://www.amsa.org/tnp/articles/article.cfx?id.

"The next scenario we’re going to be practicing is malignant hypothermia,” said Alice Landrum, MD. “Some of us in our careers have never seen that. It's a rare disease, it's very dangerous, [patients] die if it's not treated promptly.” Malignant hypothermia (MH) is a pharmacogenetic disease of skeletal muscle. Patients with the disease have no signs or symptoms except during an anesthetic. When exposed to inhalational anesthetics, muscle metabolism increases, and a series of signs and symptoms appear, which if left untreated can lead to death. The earliest findings are an increased production of carbon dioxide and signs of increased sympathetic nervous system activity (http://www.anes.ucla.edu/dept/mh.html).