Tag: Engineers

An interview with Jessica Dietz, MS, RRT and Kimber Catullo, BSRC, RRT – Clinical Educators with IngMar Medical.

Q: IngMar recently released new Patient-Ventilator Synchrony Modules for its RespiSim System. Just why is dysynchrony such a prevalent problem in patient respiratory care? 

A: Because every patient and disease state is different. This creates a huge amount of variability, making it incredibly difficult to maintain the proper ventilator settings. This common situation is exactly what these new modules address.

Q: What is so unique about the IngMar training modules — doesn’t similar training already exist?

A: We don’t know of any comparable training available elsewhere. The key unique factor about our training is the presence of the ASL 5000 and its ability to accurately reproduce spontaneous breathing. Without this spontaneous breathing, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to accurately reproduce dysynchrony in the clinical training and simulation environments. Also, we break the training down to a very granular level, so that the repetition and practice of each step and scenario can be highlighted. Accomplishing this without the ASL 5000 would be very difficult.

Q: Don’t clinical staff receive training on managing dysynchrony as part of their medical education?

A: Yes, they do. However, because of the different types of dysynchrony and all of the many variables present in patient-ventilator interaction, clinical staff need hands-on practice and experience. Patient states change constantly. Time, practice, and continual training, such as with our modules, really lock in the knowledge necessary to recognize and manage dysynchrony proficiently.

Q: What are the main goals of the modules?

A: The main goals are improved patient care and comfort. Also critical is the prevention of lung damage, resulting from improper ventilator management, which is more common than you might think. In fact, there is an acronym for this phenomenon – VILI – ventilator-induced lung injury.

Q:  Who is the learning audience for these new modules?

A: The intended audience for these new modules is primarily respiratory therapists, doctors, and nurses.  The modules are not just for beginners, but are also appropriate for seasoned professionals who need continuing education to maintain their skills in this critical area of respiratory care.

Q: Do you believe that going through interactive, hands-on training such as this ultimately results in better patient care?

A: Yes. The interactive and hands-on aspects of our modules are critical to successful learning outcomes because they ultimately help develop critical psycho-motor skills.

Learn more about the types of dysynchrony presented in the modules.