The Montreal Heart Institute is one Canada’s largest teaching centres in cardiovascular health. Always aiming for the highest standards in education, the institute believes the acquisition and sharing of knowledge are cornerstones in the fight against the world’s leading cause of death: cardiovascular diseases.

In order to pursue its mission and continue to be among the world’s top teaching centres in interventional cardiology, the Montreal Heart Institute would like to purchase an ANGIO Mentor™ cardiac catheterization simulator equipped with several learning modules. This cutting-edge device will be integrated into the Simulation-based teaching program at the Centre de formation et d’excellence en santé cardiovasculaire.

Simulation-based teaching

Simulation is a learning technique that is increasingly used in cutting-edge fields. It has gained popularity in the medical field and several articles have demonstrated its value, even suggesting that it can reduce the risk of errors during real medical procedures.

The Montreal Heart Institute does not currently have a cardiac catheterization simulator. When residents and fellows perform this kind of procedure on a patient for the first time, they’ve been taught the techniques, but they’ve never practiced them before.

When it comes to teaching interventional cardiology, simulation is quickly becoming the standard. Therapeutic procedures that use tubes threaded through blood vessels are minimally invasive for patients but require extreme accuracy and precision. Simulation-based teaching allows residents and fellows to be better prepared for these types of procedures thanks to simulations which can replicate clinical situations and rare complications. During real procedures, trainees will have already repeatedly practiced their movements and decision-making.

Every action counts for the life of the patient

Cardiac catheterization is used to carry out various tests and procedures. For instance, it is used to:

  • measure the pressure in the heart’s chambers
  • assess the heart’s capacity
  • identify cardiac anomalies
  • determine if a surgical intervention is required

Moreover, it can also be used to treat heart defects, dilate a valve, and unblock an artery.

The Institute carries out nearly 6,000 cardiac catheterization procedures every year, including nearly 3,000 surgical interventions and 300 complex noncoronary procedures. Every gesture counts because the patient’s life depends on it. Trainees must receive in-depth training which translates into benefits for the patient.

A device that is essential for learning the best practices

The ANGIO Mentor™ cardiac catheterization simulator is currently the best of its kind in Canada. This unmatched teaching tool can benefit fellows, residents, nurses, and other health care professionals thanks to a realistic clinical environment and a full body mannequin with five access sites. It also includes a fluoroscopy and vital signs monitor.

Its numerous teaching modules reproduce a range of clinical situations chosen by the trainers. The student learns by reacting in real time and responding to the situation with specific techniques. The trainer can then correct them, guide them, or wait until after the procedure to provide feedback and complete their training.

The simulator will be integrated into Université de Montréal’s general cardiology and interventional cardiology programs. The heads of these two programs are cardiologists with the Montreal Heart Institute. It will also allow the multidisciplinary medical and surgical structural therapy team to perfect their expertise and train more people. Furthermore, new research protocols along with teaching and learning techniques will be made possible thanks to the device.

Objectives

The ANGIO Mentor™ cardiac catheterization simulator will allow us to achieve the following objectives:

  • Better prepare residents and fellows before their internship in interventional cardiology
  • Build a simulation-based training program for fellows in the hemodynamics and electrophysiology departments and for residents in the university cardiology program
  • Integrate the simulation-based interventional cardiology program in university programs for students specializing in hemodynamics and electrophysiology and for general cardiology residents
  • Develop and validate new teaching techniques
  • Provide cutting-edge training
  • Allow trainees to practice complex cases with real images from patients
  • Train nurses in the hemodynamics and electrophysiology departments in various manipulations and interventions
  • Recreate a clinical environment in order to improve the cohesion of intervention teams

 

Benefits

The ANGIO Mentor™ cardiac catheterization simulator will provide the following benefits:

  • Provide a better university training in general cardiology and interventional cardiology
  • Increase the safety of the patient during their procedure
  • Reduce the risks of complications during the procedure
  • Reduce the stress of medical staff during the procedure
  • Increase the number of candidates with excellent abilities and records
  • Increase the allure of the Montreal Heart Institute’s training program

The purchase of this state-of-the-art device will not only allow the patient to benefit from a safer procedure, it will also allow the Montreal Heart Institute to continue building its cutting-edge teaching programs and remain one of the world’s best cardiology education centres.

Project lead

Dr. Serge Doucet
Director of education at the Montreal Heart Institute