Body Simulation is a software simulation of human physiology and pharmacology that runs on common personal computers. It is the core of a hi-fidelity line of software applications that are geared toward teaching, training, research, development, and marketing.
Body Simulation for Anesthesia is an interactive PC-based multi-media software program. It is a simulation of the anesthesia work environment that is centered around a sophisticated mathematical model of human physiology and pharmacology. The program provides a multimedia presentation of the patient and the anesthesia workstation such that users may interact with the software to do actions that would be done during an anesthetic case. The goal of the software is to provide users with the opportunity to run through the all intellectual motions, to the extent limited by a multimedia simulation, that would normally be routine, or not so routine, during the anesthetic delivery process.
Body Simulation for Critical Care is similar to its anesthesia counterpart that is customized to the ICU environment.
The software may be considered as having two logical parts: 1) the clinical side, where the user may perform interventions, make assessments, and may interact with the patient, the monitors, the anesthesia machines and ventilators, other medical support personnel, etc., and 2) the scientific side, where the user may access graphs, plots, and other pertinent data to gain insight into the physiologic and pharmacologic processes and their mechanisms.
Prior to starting the case, the user or instructor must select a patient and a case to run. Once the case is selected, the user must interact with the multimedia software as seen fit. The user must use monitors and interaction with the patient and other operating room personnel to ascertain the status of the patient with the goal of making appropriate decisions to bring the case to successful conclusion. All steps from selecting IV access sites to selecting drugs and dealing with critical incidents are available for simulation sessions. The user may also assess the patient, select fluids and drugs to be administered during the case, selected inhaled agents and anesthesia machine settings to use during the case, select monitors, view monitors, view and input to the anesthetic record, query the patient or other OR personnel, and take steps to deviate from the initial anesthetic plan if required!
Body Simulation is appropriate for almost all levels of students and clinicians. Scenarios demonstrating simple physiologic and pharmacologic concepts through to very complex interactions may be set up to help explain mechanisms, demonstrate symptoms, and allow insight into processes of interest in ways that have never before been possible. Body Simulation software is of interest to students of medicine, physiology, pharmacology, veterinary medicine, and also to CRNA's (certified registered nurse anesthetists), nurses of many disciplines, physicians, first responders (paramedics, fire department, etc), employees of pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturing companies, and many other fields.
Experience has shown that it is nearly impossible to explain the software without viewing a demonstration to fully understand the complexity of the mathematical models and comprehensive nature of the software. If your interest is peaked, please download the demonstration version of the software to enter the intriguing world of Body Simulation.
