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The sounds of a sleeping baby. So quiet. So peaceful. Until...
Meet SimBaby, the newest addition to The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
This life-like baby is designed to help nurses, physician, and staff train for all
sorts of medical emergencies that infants in our area face. “We can simulate anything
from a code or an arrest. If the baby was to stop breathing, or we lose the heart
rate,” says Tom Walsh, Clinical Coordinator for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
He can program the baby to demonstrate all sorts of health problems. Today, it’s
a respiratory emergency. “..simulates heart sounds, has very realistic pulses, the
airways are realistic, the baby makes vocalizations in response to the interventions
the nurses provide,” explains Walsh.
During SimBaby drills, the alarm sounds and staff come to the baby’s rescue. They
check the vital signs, assist in breathing techniques, and can even administer IVs.
All the while, a computer captures their every move. “If you think about it, for
pilots, they spend hours in flight simulators and really we should spend more time
in patient care with patient simulators like this practicing those events that happen
infrequently here on the unit,“ explains Walsh.
Once the emergency is over, the computer provides feedback of their performance.
“I think SimBaby is a kind of a testament to the hospital’s vision for quality.
Who doesn’t want the best prepared nurse taking care of their child in Lee County?”
says Walsh.
Often times, SimBaby scenarios are based on real-life infant situations, proving
this tiny life-like baby can potentially save real lives.
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