SimMan ALS

NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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If you use a SimMan ALS, can you let me know your thoughts?

(I am specifically interesred in feedback only for the SimMan ALS model)
 

FiremanMike

Just a dude
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He’s a decent robot, probably their best for EMS.

Pros:
1. Integrated qCPR mannequin
2. Chest rise/fall and the ability to show pneumothorax
3. Good integration with shocklink and your monitor
4. Allows for needle decompression (2nd intercostal only)
5. He’s a relatively simple robot to operate
6. Completely wireless with an integrated ad hoc network
7. Relatively transportable

Cons
1. His joints and waist articulate poorly. Laerdal designs their products for in-hospital use, I.e patient in a bed, and SimMan ALS is no exception. We still do our best to cram him in the corner of the bathroom, but it is a hassle.
2. Needle decompression is 2nd intercostal only, cant use larger than a 22ga (unless you want to change the bladders between each sim), and there’s no sensor so you have to watch the sim play out and manually tell the robot to resolve the pneumo
3. Voice coms through the SimPad is unreliable at best.
4. SimPad themes, while powerful, are absolutely limiting. I highly recommend getting an LLEAP license and a laptop unless the portability of the SimPad is a critical feature for you.
5. Laerdal support, at least for me, has been lacking. We have 1 robot and are definitely a small fish and that’s apparent in the interactions that I have had with them. Laerdal caters to the hospital market with their million dollar sim lab budgets and it can be tough to get them to focus on our issues and they definitely haven’t cared about my feedback.
6. His airway is plastic and unrealistic in terms of airway management. With that said, this problem exists in all of the simulators I’ve ever used from low-fidelity on up.
7. The shocklink can be wonky, when it works, it’s great, but when the pads start to go bad or If pad placement isn’t nearly perfect, you’ll get no data on your monitor.
8. They simulated patient monitor is a mirror of a Phillips in-hospital touch screen monitor and has no defib function. I have suggested repeatedly that they build an interface that looks/functions like a Zoll or Physio, but they have no interest. Unfortunately, their simulated patient monitor is the only way to get SpO2 and waveform capnography, so if these features are important to you, then you’ll be stuck with the $1000 license fee, otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it. We don’t even use the patient monitor anymore. As much as I hate instructor/student interaction during the sim, those items and blood pressure are things that I will call out..

We’ve been using him for awhile now and overall it’s a good robot with the ability to create an amazing learning environment for your guys. I realize my cons section was much bigger and more in depth but I don’t mean for it to be an indictment on the robot. You’ve already done the base level research and you know what the features of it and I can confirm that they work as intended (mostly)..

At the time, it was the best price for feature robot on the market. I haven’t looked at the available products in awhile so I’m not sure if METI caught up or if laerdal has something new out..
 

wanderingmedic

RN, Paramedic
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Gaumard has some mid and high fidelity manikins that I really like. We have not adoped any of them yet... but the Code Blue III looks comprable to the SimMan ALS. http://www.gaumard.com/s300-100
 

FiremanMike

Just a dude
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Looks like Ambu is upping their game in the simulations market with their new AmbuMan next generation. I've requested a demo, I'll let you guys know what I think if I get one..
 
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OP
NomadicMedic

NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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Sounds good. I have a grant proposal in for one. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll continue to investigate.

And as far as support, the client service guy for Laredal simulation lives in my town. He ran the sim lab at the local college for years and now just helps agencies with their robots. He’s a former medic and loves what I want to do with the SimMan ALS. We’ll see.
 
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