Simulation follows critically ill patient from home to ICU

More than 50 people from Memorial Medical Center and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine participated in an exercise that followed a critically ill patient from the moment he called for help until he arrived into an intensive care unit.

The live simulation was the “first time that a simulation of this complexity has been attempted,” said Sapan Desai, medical director of the surgical skills lab in the Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation and vice chair of research with the department of surgery at SIU School of Medicine. “This realistic simulation will teach us a great deal about all of the things we do right in health care – and highlight areas where we can continue to improve.”

During the past six months, the Midwest Healthcare Quality Alliance, a partnership between Memorial and SIU, has been developing a virtual reality model of the simulation, said Todd Roberts, administrator of quality and safety for Memorial Health System. That model was put to the test Dec. 17 when the live simulation took place in a simulation center in the Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation.

Those involved included health care providers, administrators, quality improvement experts, educators, support personnel and two paramedics and firefighters with the Chatham Fire Protection District. Actor John Petter launched the demonstration, playing a patient who suffered from an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

The aorta is the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The lower part of the aorta, near the stomach and intestines, can sometimes become weakened and expand like a garden hose with a bulge in it. If this bulge – or aneurysm – bursts, a person can face a life-threatening emergency.

The exercise followed the patient’s progress through the health care system, beginning with the arrival of paramedics from the Chatham Fire Protection District. From there, he was treated in several simulated environments, including an ambulance, an emergency room, an operating room and an intensive care unit. In the operating room, the actor was swapped out with a mannequin designed for surgical procedures.

This is the first of what is expected to be several simulations. Memorial and SIU are applying for federal grants to continue funding this research.

Bobbi Wiseman | Memorial Medical Center Dr. Sapan Desai views the live simulation of a critically ill patient being treated for an abdominal aortic aneurysm in the control room of a simulation center in the Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation.

http://myjournalcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Simulation-Desai.jpg Bobbi Wiseman | Memorial Medical Center Dr. Sapan Desai views the live simulation of a critically ill patient being treated for an abdominal aortic aneurysm in the control room of a simulation center in the Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation.

Bobbi Wiseman | Memorial Medical Center John Petter, an actor who portrayed a critically ill patient during a simulation, is examined by healthcare professionals. He was swapped out by the high-tech mannequin next to him when the simulation moved into the operating room setting.

http://myjournalcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Simulation-Patient.jpg Bobbi Wiseman | Memorial Medical Center John Petter, an actor who portrayed a critically ill patient during a simulation, is examined by healthcare professionals. He was swapped out by the high-tech mannequin next to him when the simulation moved into the operating room setting.