Emergency medicine residents tested a new UF-developed mixed reality simulator in September that lets the user get valuable experience in a safe way. Residents practiced on a subclavian central venous access simulator by injecting the tip of a needle directly into the subclavian vein of a digital dummy while avoiding its artery and lung. A sensor tracks and records 3-D images of where the needle moves in the body and tells the user whether he or she has hit a vital organ or the desired vein. Sem Lampotang, Ph.D., director of the Center for Safety, Simulation & Advanced Learning Technologies, said UF has applied for a patent for the technology. Al Robinson, M.D., is studying whether the simulator is an effective teaching tool for residents. “The preliminary results show that it seems to be making a difference,” Lampotang said. “The residents’ performance is getting better.”
