Skip to content

Specialist manikin used for stab wound training

Alex PopeBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust A man in green hospital scrubs with an orange lanyard and a stethoscope round his neck, bending over a dummy and smiling. The dummy is lying on a bed with a blanket over it. A woman with her back to the camera is to the left, wearing a lilac jumper.West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The training is being done at Watford General Hospital

A training manikin created to mirror real-life major trauma such as stab wounds is being used by emergency workers practising life-saving procedures.

Watford General Hospital said it would prepare them "for real emergencies when there are only seconds to act".

The dummy lets them practice the "clamshell" procedure, which is a rapid opening of the chest to access the heart and lungs to relieve pressure, which can be a patient's only chance of survival.

Dr Daniela Burlacu said it was a "procedure that most clinicians will rarely encounter during their careers, but when it is needed there is no time to learn on the job".

A spokesperson for West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said it could be the difference between life and death for people who arrive in cardiac arrest following severe chest trauma.

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust A male manikin, in a bed, showing a body, with red muscles on display. It has a short dark haired wig. It is lying on a white pillow. Other hospital items are around it.West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The dummy is repaired after each training session

The training is in a realistic environment where workers can "practise the technical skills, rapid decision-making and teamwork needed for one of emergency medicine's most complex and time-critical procedures", the trust said.

It added that due to rising levels of knife crime and "serious trauma nationally", it was important that the skills were taught.

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Three people around a hospital dummy lying on a bed, covered in a sheet. They are all wearing hospital uniforms. There is a monitor on the wall on the left. Hospital equipment is around them.West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The specialist manikin allows teams to re-create trauma scenarios

Burlacu, who designed and co-ordinated the training, said: "It is about giving our clinicians the confidence and capability to deliver the very best care when every second counts."

Following each scenario, the manikin is repaired on site using specialist silicone ready for the next team.

Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Contact us below.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

You might also be interested in
Related internet links