Dr. John Carroll, MSC Medial Director and Cardiologist at University of Colorado Hospital, discusses current research and the role of simulation with Cardiac Interventions Today, April 2008 (see full article in the Industry News section): "Medical Simulation Corporation (Denver, CO), of which I am part-time medical director, has actively adapted simulation technology to train medical professionals in the growing area of percutaneous structural heart disease interventions, including valve implantation. Multiple medical device companies have learned that simulation training is important even during clinical trials before regulatory approval. It is critically important that the early lessons learned by the first-in-man interventions be transmitted to all investigators, and simulation plays a central role in helping even the most skilled interventionists safely and effectively make progress in the early learning curve. Many of these new procedures involve tasks never performed by interventionists, and thus training with simulation is especially needed. After device approval, simulation provides a means to train many professionals, physicians, and nurses, as well as the sales force. Without simulation, the early training experience has had to rely excessively on real patients. We all accept that experience increases procedural success and decreases complications. It is now clear that simulation-based training can be part of the process of gaining experience."

SimSuite ACLS Recertification Program Participants:
“This was by far the best ACLS experience I have had in my 10 years of practice.”
“The instructor did a fantastic job with this course. I, like a lot of nurses, get very stressed out when it comes to testing situations and she did a fantastic job teaching the information presented and giving me confidence to pass with ease.”
“The SimSuite is wonderful. It is a low-stress environment very conducive to learning. I retained a lot of information and was able to adapt to the new AHA guidelines without difficulty. Keep up the good work!!”
“I really appreciate the time given to go over the concepts and the specifics. We had so many questions. The instructor patiently went through them all with a smile. Thank you! I'll recommend this to anyone else.”

Lucia Sramek, RN, St. Anthony’s Summit Medical Center, Frisco, CO (Moderate Sedation Pilot Program): "I learned a lot and feel the information is extremely valuable to my everyday practice. Thank you for making me feel more confident in my practice."

Dr. Martin B. Leon, March 24, 2006, in regards to the Edwards THV Training Program: "This is the best training program that I have ever seen for physician training on an investigational device. This will change the way we train."

Joseph D. Babb, M.D., President of SCAI and Professor of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC: “We take much time and pride in researching new technologies and in deciding to bring innovative programs to our members. Simulation technology for the medical industry is just starting to reshape learning methods for healthcare teams. SCAI is enthusiastic about our relationship with MSC and their SimSuite Training System.”

Donald Baim, M.D., Cardiologist, Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, Boston, MA: Upon realizing that a recent SimSuite video demonstration of a live case was on patient “Simantha” and not a real case: “I know the system, and I got fooled.”

John Carroll, M.D., Director of Interventional Cardiology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO: “Right now, the only way we practice is through direct patient experience. When a practitioner finds a new technique at a conference…someone has to be the first patient.”

John Combes, M.D., Principal Investigator and Senior Medical Advisor for the American Hospital Association: “This project gives us the opportunity to change the current medical education model from ‘see one, do one, teach one’ to having physicians in training get realistic experience though technology.”

Kirk Gavlick, D.O., Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA: “Centers like this are going to be the rule rather than the exception, and I think they will become an industry standard.”

Bruce Hamory, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA: “SimSuite Centers are transforming the way doctors train by providing actual patient cases that have been well thought out and replicated through the simulated ‘Simantha,’ who has a pulse and responds to treatment like a real patient. This technology provides physicians the opportunity to gain hands-on clinical experience without risk to patients. What makes it unique is that it encompasses the entire process of care, not simply the simulated procedure.”

David Holmes, Jr., M.D., Professor of Medicine , Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN:

• “The airline industry and other professions have used simulators for a long time. In the past couple of years, there’s been an interest in developing simulator models that could be used to train physicians how to perform new procedures or to develop new approaches.”
• “The SimSuite ‘looks like a catheterization laboratory’ and “the feel of the catheter has been quite good and the specific cases that have been chosen have been well thought out and replicated with the simulator technology.”
• “What needs to be realized is that the cost of a single tragic complication can far exceed the cost of the simulator training that may have prevented it.”

David Holmes, Jr., M.D., Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN: “There are a couple of aphorisms to keep in mind. The first aphorism is that practice makes perfect. The second is that practicing on a simulator is even more perfect than practicing on patients. So, we’ll be able to use simulators to practice before we practice on patients and that will be terribly important.”

Spencer King, M.D., Former President of the American Academy of Cardiologists, and the Fuqua Chair of Interventional Cardiology, Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta, GA: “You don’t want to have people practicing on patients. The medical profession—in particular cardiology—is extremely interested in measures that improve the quality of care.”

Dr. Roy Leiboff, Co-Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, George Washington University Hospital, Washington, D.C.: “The idea is to make mistakes when they don’t count—not when you have a real patient in front of you….(the SimSuite Training System) is the same tactile information you get when you do real procedures.”

John Messenger, M.D. Co-Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO: “Many life-threatening events and complications often are not encountered during training.”

Jonathan Reiner, M.D., Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, George Washington Hospital, Washington D.C.:

• “We’re committed to being one of the most technologically advanced medical facilities in the nation; having the SimSuite system is consistent with this philosophy.”
• “The times I’ve used the (SimSuite) system, I noticed that my heart rate started to rise a bit as things happen in the cath lab. I had to remind myself that I was doing a simulation and not a procedure on a real patient.”.

Mark Reisman, M.D., Director of Swedish Heart Institute’s Cardiovascular Research Program and Catheterization Lab in Seattle, WA: “Simulation training allows our cardiac teams to perform a multitude of procedures in a risk-free environment. New medical devices, new methods, and a variety of situations can be programmed into the training system to provide a stimulating training environment for our doctors, nurses, and students.”

Gregario Sicard, M.D., Vascular Surgeon and Vice Chairman of the Surgery Department, Washington University, St. Louis, MO: “I think simulation is the technology of the future, especially in the area that involves complex procedures. If a mistake is made, you don’t harm the patient.”

Robert Chason, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Hospitals and Clinics, University of California, Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA: ”With today's rapid introduction of medical advancements, it is critical that healthcare teams both novice and experienced have numerous opportunities to practice new procedures and devices without putting patients at risk. We know that procedure volume alone is not the best method for gaining experience and assuring quality outcomes. Simulation technology gives every practitioner the opportunity to prepare for the most challenging cases they might experience, regardless of individual procedure volume. This preparation can provide patients the greatest opportunity for the best outcomes.”

Linda Famiglio, M.D., Associate Chief Medical Officer for Academic Affairs, Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA: "Healthcare professionals have a responsibility to practice in ways that don't put patients at risk. At Geisinger, we use innovative technology, including the SimSuite Education Center, to provide enhancements to traditional learning methods. This type of advanced medical education program helps to attract and retain well-prepared practitioners. Residents and medical students find the SimSuite System to be a great practice-makes-perfect tool."

Michael R. Jaff, D.O., Vascular Medicine, Vascular Ultrasound Core Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA: "The concept of responsible training refers to building up as complete a ‘fund of knowledge’ in CAS as possible by providing training not just in the procedure and the device, but also in anatomy, complications, and patient selection. The concept also includes transferring this fund of knowledge to physicians via the most advanced techniques and technologies—including hands-on simulation training."

Robert Siegel, M.D., Interventional Cardiology, Advanced Cardiac Specialists, Arizona, Apache Junction, AZ: "I even got a chance to put my skills to the test on the virtual procedure. While I knew it was only a simulation, it was still pretty intense. In a sense, we can avoid the animal. We can go straight to a person once we’ve worked out the issues and depending on the sophistication of the computer and technology and it’s pretty interesting."