We are proud to officially announce the launch of IngMar Medical’s brand new subscription-based e-learning environment, RespiSim eLearning. It is designed to bring affordable, highly realistic ventilation training to the entire healthcare community.

IngMar Medical President, Brian Linn, explains, “For nearly 30 years, our systems have been highly regarded as the most realistic and versatile simulators available for mechanical ventilation training. Empowering educators to better prepare clinicians for the most complex mechanical ventilation challenges will always be a part of our identity. But, the launch of our RespiSim® eLearning subscription marks the beginning of a new chapter at IngMar Medical. Rather than catering exclusively to the most advanced respiratory educators, we will begin providing solutions that help support the training objectives of a wider range of clinicians as well as educators who have adopted hybrid and remote teaching modalities.”

We are thrilled to announce a partnership with the Cleveland Clinic who has supplied a comprehensive set of e-learning courses which can be completed by learners on their own time as an adjunct to existing curriculums.

In addition, RespiSim eLearning includes our new Virtual Ventilator, which is a software-based solution allowing educators to demonstrate basic to advanced ventilation concepts in a fully virtual environment.

As a RespiSim eLearning subscriber, you will also have the opportunity to participate in a discussion forum to discuss best practices in simulation and mechanical ventilation with your peers. We look to build a community of educators who are all working together for the same common goal – better patient outcomes.

Watch this webinar to learn more!

We are proud to officially announce the launch of IngMar Medical’s next generation solution for respiratory and ventilation training, RespiPro™.

With RespiPro, educators can train all levels of learners across multiple disciplines on the full scope of respiratory techniques using their own real ventilators and respiratory devices. The solution includes the most realistic breathing simulator, the ASL 5000™, as well as easy-to-use software, a true-to-life patient monitor, and a respiratory-focused manikin on a compact ICU bed.

IngMar Medical President, Brian Linn, explains, “We have spent years talking to customers about how we can help them achieve better training outcomes, ultimately leading to better patient care. We understand that our customers want to immerse their learners in an environment that is indistinguishable from real life, while controlling the simulation with easy-to-use software. These are the key elements of our new RespiPro, and that is why we are thrilled to share it with respiratory educators all over the world.”

While the concept of RespiPro is the same as our legacy RespiSim® System solutions, this launch is particularly monumental due to the overhaul of both the software and hardware components. We worked closely with educators throughout the entire development process to ensure RespiPro meets your respiratory and ventilation training needs.

“The launch of RespiPro marks a major step on our journey, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue working with the respiratory simulation community to build off of this new foundation,” stated Brian.

Please visit this webpage to learn more!

Clinical simulation is strongly associated with improved learning, skills, future performance and patient outcomes. However, simulating clinical reality is a challenging feat! Join us to tackle this challenge on our free webinar Wednesday, July 14 @ 11am ET. We will run a two-phase scenario in our very own virtual simulation environment, while you sit back and experience the simulation from the learner’s POV.

In this session, you will:

– learn the criteria and equipment necessary to design and run effective healthcare scenarios

– gather information and make treatment decisions in a high-fidelity simulation experience with the brand new RespiPro™

Watch the Webinar

In this session, you will learn the tools and equipment we suggest as well as tips to provide the most realistic and engaging virtual simulation.

But, don’t take our word for it! We will run our brand new simulation, “COVID-19 NIV,” and you can sit back and experience what your learners will experience. Gather information and make treatment decisions while we run a simulation in our very own virtual simulation environment.

Watch the Recording Here

Restrictions around social distancing have forced institutions to become inventive when looking for ways to teach. We know that providing hands-on training in a realistic environment allows learners to achieve the most growth and experience to take when them in their future careers. 

So, how can educators provide effective simulation training in a virtual environment? 

I put together 3 Tips for Virtual Respiratory Simulation. I hope these suggestions help educators continue to provide effective teaching opportunities in this new environment.

Tip #1:  Use technology to try to keep a consistent experience, when possible.

Teach the same concepts via the same methods the learners are already familiar with, making slight adjustments, as needed.

• Instead of meeting in-person, use a virtual meeting platform to allow collaboration and screen-sharing.
• Instead of hands-on training, use a camera with streaming capabilities to show the learners the assessments they’d use in the sim lab. If you don’t have a camera, use a video capture device to display your ventilator screen on your PC. For example, preset camera shots to show:
  • your ventilator screen (patient-ventilator interactions).
  • the patient monitor.
  • the manikin’s chest rise.
  • ETT placement.
• Use monitors to help you maintain control of all moving parts while staying engaged with your learners. For example, use a monitor to see:
  1. what you’re showing your learners via your shared screen (we’ve all shared the wrong screen before!).
  2. what your camera is streaming to make sure you’re zoomed in on the right assessments.
  3. a maximized view of your learners on-camera in the virtual meeting.

Tip #2:  Engage and involve the learners as much as possible.

• All cameras on — the learners see the instructor and the instructor sees all learners!
• Involve the learner in as many parts of the simulation as possible, just as they would in the sim center. Your learner will use the instructor as their avatar! Here is an example scenario for inspiration:
  1. The instructor will show the learners the patient monitor and the ventilator screen.
  2. Learner:  “The patient is tachycardic. I see the patient is also hypertensive and breathing fast. All of those assessments lead me to believe the patient may be in distress.”
  3. Instructor:  “What is the ventilator showing you?”
  4. Learner:  “I can see that the flow on the flow waveform is not returning to baseline. This is an indication that the patient is not fully exhaling, which can lead to air trapping.”
  5. Instructor:  “What would you like to do next?”
  6. Learner:  “Please take the rate down on the ventilator to 12.”
  7. The instructor turns the rate down, and the dysynchrony on the ventilator will resolve. The instructor will provide improved vitals on the patient monitor.

Tip #3:  Consult with IngMar Medical!

Our clinical education team and product specialists can help you save time and make efficient use of your resources to achieve your goals.

• Develop custom patient patterns or scenarios.
• Integrate scenarios into your current education or research.
• Plan and deliver your ventilator bootcamp or in-service training

What’s Next?

Due to the growing need of virtual learning, IngMar Medical has been brainstorming ways to make virtual respiratory training even easier for you in the future.

Please take a minute to provide us with some incite on how you see your ventilation training occurring in the future.

412-441-8228 | support@ingmarmed.com | sales@ingmarmed.com

Respiratory Care Week is October 25-31 and is a time dedicated to celebrating the Respiratory Therapy profession. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to patients; you have continued to show how vital you are to the healthcare team.

We at IngMar Medical are proud to celebrate RC Week and we stand by the Respiratory Therapy profession every single day. In fact, we have three Respiratory Therapists on-staff at IngMar Medical! Our RTs are dedicated to being the voice of our clients; they share client feedback to help continuously develop and improve our products as well as provide product training and customized consultation.

To celebrate RC Week 2020, our RTs thoughtfully contributed to a discussion around their experiences and hopes for the future.

How were you taught ventilation training in school?

Jessica:  “We had traditional lecture, lab time, competencies throughout the class and simulation involving a manikin and test lung. We were also given the use of ventilators outside of class to practice during free hours with a booklet of patient cases and fill-in-the-blank ventilator changes. After going through these portions, we’d have real patient interaction, under the supervision of a preceptor at a multitude of hospitals in different units.”

Justina:  “We learned about ventilator management from a book/ lecture. Then, we would do lab time with a ventilator and a test lung. Lastly, we’d do clinical with a real patient and hope to see “good” cases.”

Kimber:  “We had traditional lecture and extensive lab time over two semesters. The lab time used simulated ventilators on the computer and hands-on cases studies/ competencies with real ventilators and test lungs. The majority of the time we used real ventilators to learn and observe the mechanics of ventilation. Then, we had three semesters of in-hospital clinical rotations in which we took care of ventilated patients under the supervision of another Respiratory Therapist.”

What is your opinion on the necessity and importance of simulation for ventilation training?

Jessica:  “Simulation is a vital component for teaching students. We can see in this time of a pandemic how necessary it is to teach using simulation. Students will still need to see real patients and have that interaction, but simulation gives them confidence and the critical thinking skills that are needed in a high pressure situation, without the consequences of making a critical mistake. Simulation also allows for rare cases that might never be seen in the short period of time that students have during clinical rotation.”

Justina:  “Educators can’t always show the cases that they want to teach about in clinical rotations. Simulation gives educators the ability to show these cases anytime they need to. Sometimes during clinical, you would have no ventilators or very basic ventilated patients – this doesn’t always prepare you to deal with any type of patient in the hospital setting.”

Kimber:  “Simulation is vitally important to mechanical ventilation education. It is nearly impossible to understand ventilation without seeing it in-person. Learning on a simulated patient is ideal, because one can make mistakes and learn from them without ever harming a patient. This allows the learner to focus on the concepts instead of the fear of doing harm to a living being.”

A current topic of discussion is the balance between enabling and empowering RTs while also encouraging other disciplines to raise their mechanical ventilation competency level.  What is your opinion on this?

Jessica:  “I believe that the advanced interaction and training with mechanical ventilators should be a focus for Respiratory Therapists and Physicians who handle critical care patients. There is so much to learn about ventilation, oxygenation, different ventilator nuances, and ongoing lifelong learning; it really becomes a full-time job in itself. Other clinicians, such as nursing, should understand the basic of mechanical ventilation and how they relate to the physiology of the patient such as ventilator alarms and troubleshooting the cause.”

Justina:  “Before recently traveling to New York City, the epicenter of the COVID crisis, I agreed that ventilator training should be reserved for RTs and MDs. However, after speaking with the frontline clinicians, who were not able to care for each of their 200 ventilated patients, I realized why it is so important to be able to train other medical professionals on the basics of mechanical ventilation. This ability to provide quick training to clinicians (that may have never seen a ventilator) could make a major difference in the care that we provide to our patients. This basic knowledge would allow for a wide range of clinicians to be able to help RTs and MDs out if this great need would ever arise again. The intricacies of advanced mechanical ventilation training should still be reserved for the clinicians with the proper respiratory background, but working as a team in patient care will only lead to better outcomes for our patients.”

Kimber:  “I feel that critical clinicians should be trained in basic mechanical ventilation. This does not mean that critical care clinicians should be able make ventilator changes, but having a basic knowledge improves patient care all around. Ventilator management should be left to the experts who are licensed to do so such as RTs, MDs, PAs, and NPs. These medical professionals should have extensive training that surpass a ‘basic understanding’.”

Visit https://www.aarc.org/resources/programs-projects/respiratory-care-week/ for more stories and information.

Part of our mission is to decrease suffering and improve patient outcomes for those who rely on respiratory devices and treatments.  We aim to fulfill this mission by providing educators with the tools necessary to provide hands-on mechanical ventilation training. Please continue to reach out to IngMar Medical for your respiratory simulation needs.

412-441-8228 | support@ingmarmed.com | sales@ingmarmed.com

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting businesses across the world in dramatically different ways as some businesses are thriving, while others are diminishing.

About half of United States manufacturers are considered essential businesses and are allowed to remain open during the pandemic.

As a life-sustaining business, IngMar Medical is honored to stay open and provide the tools necessary for the respiratory community to save lives.

In an effort to meet the demand for respiratory simulation solutions, we have:

• Prepared to follow all CDC COVID-19 guidelines via a Workplace Health & Safety Monitor
• Expanded and adjusted our manufacturing workspace to adhere to social distancing guidelines
• Grown our essential workforce team to include more Production Technicians
• Taken a proactive approach to find supply chain bottle necks and overcome them

We, at IngMar Medical, are humbled and grateful to be in the position to remain open and dedicated to our mission of decreasing suffering and improving patient outcomes for those who rely on respiratory devices.

Recently, Pittsburgh public radio station WESA-FM, published a story on how local businesses are faring during the COVID-19 pandemic. IngMar Medical President Stefan Frembgen was interviewed for the story.

Read the full story here.

As the COVID-19 pandemic impacts those around the world, we recognize this is a time filled with feelings of uncertainty. However, at this time, we are immensely grateful for those in the respiratory community. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to you.

• Thank you to the engineers who develop respiratory devices and treatments.
• Thank you to the educators who train future clinicians on ventilation.
• Thank you to the researchers who find the best treatment modalities.
• Thank you to those providing care to people in need.

You are the reason we do what we do every day at IngMar Medical. During this difficult time, we stand by you. You have our commitment to continue providing the products and services you depend on.

For more than 25 years, IngMar Medical has focused on our mission to decrease suffering and improve patient outcomes. This enduring mission guides us as we begin to invest our time in assisting the respiratory community in this period of need.

Currently, we are developing a simulation scenario for managing a ventilated COVID-19 patient. We are working with Laerdal Medical and various physicians and respiratory therapists throughout the world so that we can gain a broad perspective on how these patients are best managed on ventilators. The scenario will be shared with all users when complete. Keep an eye out for updates on this in the coming days.

Please continue to reach out to IngMar Medical for your respiratory simulation needs. Be well.

412-441-8228 | support@ingmarmed.com | sales@ingmarmed.com