Objectives: Testing the feasibility of implementing simulator training into courses for pediatric echocardiography.
Methods: We used EchoCom, a simulator for echocardiography that we have developed at our institution, as an additional tool during a board certified echocardiography course at the Heart Center Leipzig. EchoCom consists of a manikin, a electromagnetic tracking system and a computer application (see figure). The application visualizes two-dimensional echocardiographic images derived from stored 3D data sets according to the tracker position and represents them side-by-side with a virtual 3D scene of the heart and ultrasound probe. It is linked with a data base of 3D data sets covering most congenital heart diseases. The course is divided into a theoretical and a practical part. Within the practical part children (with/without cardiac disease) volunteer as training models. Participants were divided into groups of 5 and had two training sessions with children and one simulator session. After completion they filled out a standardized questionnaire regarding the usefulness of the simulator.
Results: A total of 30 physicians participated in the study. All regarded the implementation of the simulator as useful and said it has advantages compared to training on volunteers. 92% said the simulator could impart aspects they would have not acquired without the simulator. 53% voted to have more simulator training, while 47% said that the extent was adequate. No one wanted to have less simulator training.
Conclusion: Implementing simulator training in addition to traditional learning methods in echocardiography courses is useful and rated positively by course participants.