Cardiac staff at Cork hospital receive surgical training on back of articulated truck
Intern, Dr Orna Cantillon; candidate advanced nurse practitioner in cardiothoracic surgery, Clodagh Downey; and clinical lead/consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Kishore Doddakula at a workshop in the mobile training truck. Animal hearts which are anatomically like human hearts were used. Pictures: Jim Coughlan
Cardiac surgeons worked on cutting-edge heart surgery techniques in the back of a truck in what was a surgical training first for one of the country’s largest teaching hospitals.
The surgeons at Cork University Hospital (CUH) attended workshops and then practiced several cardiac surgery procedures, some using minimally invasive techniques, in the specially equipped high-tech Medtronic mobile training truck which parked on the hospital campus yesterday.
The 16-tonne articulated truck, which has been designed to bring the classroom to the clinicians, has a trailer kitted out with a range of medical equipment to simulate an operating room. It can also host workshops and mini lectures.
It is on a tour of several European countries, and rolled into CUH yesterday to host the cardiac surgery workshops for members of CUH’s cardiac surgery and cardiology teams.
They worked in the truck’s “wet lab” area and used certain animal hearts, which are anatomically like the human heart, to hone their skills in valve replacement, suturing techniques, and identification of anatomical structures.
They used a high-tech mannequin, which is connected to a computer, to simulate a cardiopulmonary bypass — connecting a patient to a heart-lung machine — while cardiologists practiced implanting a valve via the mannequin’s groin.
The truck also facilitated the simulation of keyhole mitral valve replacement surgery.
Around 70 people, from nurse practitioners to cardiac surgeons and cardiologists, attended the various sessions during the day — a level of training that could otherwise have taken several weeks to complete.
Mr Kishore Doddakula, the clinical lead and consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at CUH, led several training sessions and said usually, surgeons travel overseas individually or as part of a small surgical team of just a handful of people, to undergo certain training.
“Usually, for simulation training, only a few can travel overseas at a time, but bringing something like this to CUH means that we can train so many more people, and in a much faster time,” he said.
“The beauty of this is that by lunchtime, we had about 30 people attending training, during the working day, during worktime, and at their place of work.
“We estimated that between 60 and 70 people will have attended over the entire day.
“And what is unique about this is that we can bring the whole team to a workshop.
“So it’s not just the surgeons undergoing the training, it’s the whole team, from nurse practitioners, to perfusion specialists, to cardiac surgeons, and cardiologists.” Medical students and nurses were also encouraged to attend.
Mr Doddakula said: “I have seen mobile simulation training labs like this before at international expos but this is a first for CUH and it was great to have the support of the CUH Charity and the hospital administration to facilitate it.
“We have found it to be a great experience. This is just the start and I certainly hope that it will happen more often.
“It allows us to train people better, to get them working better as a cohesive team.
“For example, if I learn a new technique and try to apply that in a live operation, there can be apprehension from others on the team.
“But this type of training lab allows everyone, from trainees to surgeons, to see the technique in a simulated setting, and it helps to get all hands on deck from the start, so to speak.” Mr Doddakula said crucially, the mobile training lab provided an opportunity for medics not just to practice some of the most routine cardiac surgeries, but how to anticipate, and then respond to and deal with complications that might arise in a real-life operation.
Michael Nason, the chief executive of the CUH Charity, said it was delighted to help facilitate the training truck’s visit to CUH, which he said boasts some of the best cardiac surgeons in the world.
Up to 500 major heart surgeries are performed at CUH annually.
