Simulation training now offered to SCAI members

Medical Simulation Corp. of Colorado will provide its SimSuite System to train 3,000 invasive and interventional cardiologists who are members of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI).

 The society chose the simulation training method as an innovative, safe way to practice coronary interventions and offer its members continuing education credits. SimSuite features a risk-free, three-phase, simulated minimally invasive surgical environment complete with a simulated patient, "Simantha."

 "This program represents the first time the SCAI has made available to its members a formalized procedures training program. We believe simulation training is one of the best ways to keep members prepared for their next milestone," said David R. Holmes, M.D., FSCAI, a past president of SCAI and Scripps Professor of Cardiovascuar Medicine and Interventional Cardiologist at the Mayo School of Medicine.

 The demand for coronary intervention has grown in the past 10 years, as angioplasty is a favorable alternative to cardiac bypass surgery. According to the American Heart Association, the number of coronary angioplasty procedures increased 262 percent between 1987 and 2000. SCAI estimates that 1.2 million percutaneous coronary intervention procedures are performed each year in the nation.

 The number of interventional cardiologists has also expanded, according to the American Board of International Medicine. In the four years since the organization began offering examinations in interventional cardiology, nearly 4,000 physicians have been certified in the specialty.

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