Using simulation for teaching femoral arterial access: A multicentric collaboration.

Objective: To assess the impact of simulation training on complications associated with femoral arterial access obtained by first year cardiology fellows.

Background: Prior studies demonstrate a higher incidence of arterial access related complications among patients undergoing invasive cardiac procedures.

Methods: First year cardiology fellows at four teaching hospitals in Michigan tracked their femoral access experience and any associated complications between July 2011 and June 2013.

A pulsatile blood vessel system for a femoral arterial access clinical simulation model.

The model-based, rapid-prototyping-enabled design and manufacture of a pulsatile blood vessel (PBV) for high-fidelity mannequin-based clinical simulations is presented. The PBV presented here is a pressurized, flexible tube with alternating fluid pressure created by a pump to mimic the behavior of a human vessel in response to pulsatile pressure. The use of PBVs is important for the fidelity of a clinical simulator that requires residents to palpate and/or access the vessel.