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A life-size mannequin that can bleed, vomit, sweat – and even have a heart attack – has been unveiled as the latest high-tech training tool for health professionals.
The remote-controlled model, named iStan, has been created by the University of Portsmouth to help provide realistic training for doctors, nurses and dentists.
Costing GBP 40,000, iStan has been designed to closely replicate a human’s anatomical structure from the skeleton to the eyes. It can also help doctors dealing with stab victims by simulating a bowel protruding from the stomach.
Its blood pressure can also fall, internal organs can bleed, lungs collapse and its bowels even make realistic sounds. Its skin can also replicate goosebumps and sweat.
Professor Lesley-Jane Eales-Reynolds said: “He can be put in a crashed car or collapsed at the foot of some stairs, or have a cardiac arrest or an adverse drug reaction in a dental chair.”
Phil Ashwell, a healthcare professional who teaches at the university, said: “The mannequins suspend disbelief and bring healthcare to life which means the quality of casualty care will improve.
“The students are very lucky to learn in this safe environment. When I was training all we had to practise on was ‘Resus Annie’, a folded up mannequin in a suitcase.”
Copyright PA Business 2008
