A new state-of-the-art mannequin has been introduced to Royal Brompton Hospital to help staff prepare for complex clinical scenarios.
The lifelike mannequin, called Harley Baby II, will allow clinicians to simulate emergency cardiac (heart) procedures in infants in a more realistic way than ever before.
Harley Baby II is made of high-quality silicone with a replica of a toddler’s heart. It has reinforced skin and fat layers, with an incision down the chest. Harley Baby II also has a metal chest opening mechanism and three chest drains (tubes).
Royal Brompton’s consultant paediatric and adult cardiac surgeon, Mr Andreas Hoschtitzky, said: “Harley Baby II is incredibly lifelike. It allows us to simulate cardiac surgery on an infant in a very realistic way, giving our clinicians confidence in real-life situations. It also enables us to analyse any issues that arise during critical clinical scenario training and take the appropriate steps to change the way our teams work, and improve patient safety.”
Open chest surgery in infants is a high impact, critical event. Through highly realistic simulations with Harley Baby II, patient care will be improved through enhanced performance and team work.
The new mannequin was co-designed with clinicians, the Trust’s SPRinT team and Lifecast.
The Trust’s congenital heart disease (CHD) centre for children is one of the largest in the UK. The teams care for congenital heart disease patients from pre-birth and through to adulthood and support young people to make the transition from paediatric to adult services.