Anesthesia Training: Volunteers, Dummies, and Cadavers - New Jersey Anesthesia Professionals
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Anesthesia Training: Volunteers, Dummies, and Cadavers

Anesthesia providers undergo extensive training before becoming licensed. Given the complexities of administering anesthesia safely and effectively, hands-on practice in a controlled environment is crucial. Anesthesia training often involves a combination of simulated patients (dummies), cadavers, and occasionally volunteers, each providing unique advantages for mastering the skills necessary in real-world clinical settings.

High-fidelity mannequins, or “dummies,” are integral to anesthesia training, particularly in early education and skill development. These mannequins are designed to replicate human physiological responses to various anesthesia levels and medications. They enable trainees to perform procedures such as intubation, intravenous line placement, and anesthesia administration without risking patient safety. Dummies are particularly valuable because they can simulate challenging scenarios like respiratory distress or sudden cardiac arrest, helping trainees develop their responses to unexpected clinical situations 1.

Simulation-based training has been shown to improve technical skills, decision-making, and team coordination. Advanced simulators can mimic complex reactions to drugs, vital sign fluctuations, and adverse events, creating a realistic setting for practicing critical thinking and crisis management. Trainees can repeat procedures as needed, gaining confidence and proficiency before working on actual patients. These simulations are cost-effective over time, minimize ethical concerns, and allow educators to provide consistent training in a safe, controlled setting 2–4.

In addition to dummies and volunteers, cadavers remain a key aspect of anesthesia training, particularly for complex procedures like nerve blocks and regional anesthesia techniques. Unlike mannequins, cadavers offer real anatomical structures, allowing trainees to understand the physical nuances that vary between patients. Practicing on cadavers helps anesthesiology trainees to refine their manual skills and gain a tactile understanding of human anatomy. For example, ultrasound-guided nerve blocks require precise needle placement that is best practiced on cadavers to appreciate muscle layers, nerve pathways, and vascular structures.

Using cadavers is invaluable for training anesthesiologists on procedures where spatial awareness and anatomical accuracy are crucial. Although costly and limited in availability, many institutions consider cadaver labs indispensable for comprehensive training. Studies have shown that anesthesiologists who train on cadavers are more accurate and confident in performing invasive techniques, leading to safer practices when working with live patients 5–7.

Although less common than dummies, simulators, and cadavers, volunteers also play a role in anesthesia training, especially in the form of supervised clinical rotations. Volunteers, usually consenting patients undergoing surgery, provide real-life experience under direct supervision. Working with live patients allows trainees to practice communication, monitor physiological responses in real-time, and adapt to dynamic clinical situations that may not be fully replicable with dummies or cadavers. However, trainees under supervision generally perform only low-risk procedures on volunteers, and direct patient interaction is often introduced later in the training process after sufficient practice on mannequins and cadavers 8.

References

1.            How dummies, drills aid medical training – CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-dummies-drills-aid-medical-training/ (2013).

2.            Rothkrug, A. & Mahboobi, S. K. Simulation Training and Skill Assessment in Anesthesiology. in StatPearls (StatPearls Publishing, Treasure Island (FL), 2024).

3.            Lorello, G. R., Cook, D. A., Johnson, R. L. & Brydges, R. Simulation-based training in anaesthesiology: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Anaesthesia 112, 231–245 (2014). doi: 10.1093/bja/aet414.

4.            Su, Y. & Zeng, Y. Simulation based training versus non-simulation based training in anesthesiology: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Heliyon 9, e18249 (2023). doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18249

5.            Sawhney, C., Lalwani, S., Ray, B. R., Sinha, S. & Kumar, A. Benefits and Pitfalls of Cadavers as Learning Tool for Ultrasound-guided Regional Anesthesia. Anesthesia, Essays and Researches 11, 3 (2017). doi: 10.4103/0259-1162.186607

6.            Dang, D. et al. Comparison of human cadaver and blue phantom for teaching ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia to novice postgraduate students of anesthesiology: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Anaesthesiology, Clinical Pharmacology 40, 276 (2024). doi: 10.4103/joacp.joacp_234_22.

7.            Gupta, A.K. et al. Cadaveric training – the solution for ultrasound‐guided regional anaesthesia? Anaesthesia – Wiley Online Library. https://associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/anae.13538. doi: 10.1111/anae.13538

8.            Ashokka, B. et al. Educational outcomes of simulation-based training in regional anaesthesia: a scoping review. British Journal of Anaesthesia 0, (2024). doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2024.07.037.