Moving frontiers in anesthesia training: the anesthesia simulator

In the late sixties, SIM I, the first anesthesia simulator, made its appearance. Conceived and built by Dr. Densen, from the University of California in Los Angeles, the anesthesiologist, and Dr. Abrahamson, the engineer. The simulator was a mannequin with an anatomic airway and computer programs that caused the blood pressure to rise and the heart rate to increase when epinephrine was injected. The authors believe the simulators that have evolved in the last few years will do well in anesthesia and in medicine in general because, on the one hand they enable the student to practice until perfect, and on the other, they represent a new approach in medical education. They respond to the demand for a more individually-oriented direction in training.