• Nicholas J Pastis, Peter Doelken, Allison A Vanderbilt, John Walker, and John J Schaefer.
• Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. pastisn@musc.edu
• Simul Healthc. 2013 Feb 1; 8 (1): 20-4.

IntroductionThe past decade has witnessed the increased use of patient simulation in medical training as a method to teach complex bedside skills. Although effective bag-mask ventilation (BMV) is a critical part of airway management, the quality of training in this skill has been questioned.MethodsFirst-year internal medicine house staff (novices) were used to evaluate a computerized patient simulator as a tool to teach difficult BMV. A novice group and an expert group (certified registered nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists) were tested to validate the simulator's ability to distinguish between these 2 skill levels.ResultsThe difference between the novice and expert groups in the ability to perform difficult BMV was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Brief training for novices led to a 100% pass rate and competence as measured by the simulator. Simulation training was effective in increasing the ability to ventilate a simulated difficult-to-ventilate patient (P < 0.0001).ConclusionsThis study suggests that this computerized patient simulator was validated as a simulation model for teaching difficult BMV and differentiating skill levels in BMV. Using the simulator with brief training on difficult BMV allowed new internal medicine house staff to successfully ventilate a simulated difficult patient.

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