Monday, April 8, 2013

Horse Model With Inflatable Latex Intestines Helps Train Vets



This is very cool!  I would LOVE to be a vet when I grow up! ~Declan



Horse model with inflatable latex intestines helps train vets

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The University of Edinburgh has acquired a life-sized anatomical model of a horse, complete with latex intestines, that can be used to simulate the common and deadly condition of equine colic.

The Equine Colic Simulator model will help students at the University's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies to familiarise themselves with the condition, which causes abdominal pain and is the leading cause of premature death in horses. Students will learn to assess the condition by performing an internal examination of the horse's intestines and sampling for free fluid in their abdomen.

The model features representations of the horse's digestive tract, which can be inflated to simulate certain symptoms. It also features the spleen and left kidney as well as a replica pelvis, a "soft vulva/anus panel" and an inflatable rectum section for palpation. There is also an area for doing the "belly tap" test, where a small incision is made into the belly of the horse to test whether there is an infection in the abdominal cavity or -- worse -- whether the intestines have ruptured.

In addition to colic, the simulator will also be used to identify reproductive problems in mares once a reproductive tract is added in a few months' time. The simulator was developed by Dr Emma Read at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and is designed to provide a safer and less stressful environment for students.

This isn't the only animal model that the University of Edinburgh has acquired. The veterinary school also uses canine simulators to allow students to practice injections and identify irregular heartbeats. Students can also carry out examinations on a cow simulator to detect pregnancy.

Dr Catriona Bell, senior lecturer in Veterinary Education at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, told Wired.co.uk: "The simulator is very realistic. Several of my equine colleagues at the University of Edinburgh have agreed that it provides a very good simulation of equine intestines, and is a very useful training tool for students."

She added that the simulator can also be used to practise other clinical skills such as suturing wounds on horse legs "and we may adapt it in the future to allow students to learn how to take a blood sample or give an intravenous injection into the jugular vein in the horse's neck".

<CLICK HERE> for more pictures of the horse model.

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