St. Alexius Medical Center to Provide Practitioners with Unique Simulation Training for Treating Carotid Artery Disease
Posted on 11/8/2006
St. Alexius Medical Center will host the Boston Scientific Mobile Simulation Training Unit on Thursday, November 16, 2006. This will provide state-of-the-art, hands on education for physicians and staff involved in minimally invasive vascular diagnostic and interventional procedures. The Mobile Simulation Training Unit replicates a vascular lab with realistic simulation technology that enables practitioners to explore new procedural solutions and to “perform” percutaneous vascular interventions in a risk-free environment.
“It is important for our medical staff to continue to stay informed about the latest technology to battle carotid artery disease,” says Andrew L. Wilson, President and CEO of St. Alexius Medical Center. “As technologies evolve and allow us to treat more challenging cases, it is important for physicians to maintain the skill and comfort level needed to approach these high risk scenarios. Continuous training is valuable in this regard and helps us enhance the high standard of care we provide to our community.”
The Boston Scientific Mobile Training Unit is a 35-foot bus, complete with a pre-procedure patient briefing area, an area for performing interventions on a simulated patient named Simantha® and a post-procedure metric evaluation computer station. Participants will have the opportunity of performing interventions with lesions, or blockages, in the carotid arteries that are considered “high risk” using the latest embolic protection devices.
High risk carotid lesions are those with blockages that are difficult to treat because of their type, location and size. Historically, these cases often required carotid endarterectomy; however, breakthrough technologies increase the likelihood of successfully treating them with less invasive procedures.
“Simulation devices such as the Boston Scientific Mobile Training Unit provide a unique opportunity for physicians to practice skills they have already learned in complex case situations using the latest technology,” says John Windsor, DO, Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services at St. Alexius Medical Center. “By partnering with Boston Scientific we have been able to bring this opportunity right to our door, so it is accessible and convenient.”
About St. Alexius Medical Center
St. Alexius Medical Center is a full-service 304-bed acute-care facility with Magnet® and JCAHO® accreditation. It was the first hospital in the Dakotas, established in 1885, and has grown to be the largest medical center in western North Dakota, as well as a medical center renowned for its excellence and admired for its commitment to a mission based on the rule of St. Benedict to “Let All Be Received as Christ.”
About Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific is a world wide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties. For more information, please visit www.bostonscientific.com. Simantha® is a trademark of Medical Simulation Corporation.