Patient Simulator Aids Emergency Training for Space

A life-like mannequin is being developed to teach astronauts, flight surgeons, and other mission personnel how to manage medical emergencies in space. In charge of the development is the Medical Operational Support Team (MOST), a joint project of the US National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI; Houston, TX), NASA Johnson Space Center, and Wyle Laboratories.

The patient simulator is linked to a sophisticated computer that controls reactions of the "patient” and can be programmed to mimic various situations. These help trainees plan for different medical contingencies, including crush trauma, inhalation burn, allergic reactions, decompression sickness, eye injury, respiratory distress, and heart attack. For a training session on allergic reactions to medications, for example, trainees will face a wheezing simulator with a rapid pulse and swollen tongue. In some scenarios, the simulator is programmed to speak. The practice sessions include the teaching of critical thinking and critical communications.

"It is hard to think clearly in a medical emergency,” said Dr. Hal Doerr, who heads the MOST team. "We're trying to create enough stress to make it realistic, so they will fail. Once they see how difficult it can be, we explain why they failed, work through the problems, and do it until they succeed.”




Related Links:
National Space Biomedical Research Institute