P106: Does training with a modified high-fidelity manikin improve junior residents’ ability to establish transcutaneous pacing in an advanced cardiovascular life support course?

Abstract

Introduction: Transcutaneous cardiac pacing (TCP), a skill taught in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) courses, is recommended to treat unstable bradycardia. Training manikins currently available fail to reproduce key features of TCP and might be suboptimal to teach this procedure.The objective of this study was to measure the impact of a modified high-fidelity manikin on junior residents’ TCP competency during an ACLS course. We hypothesized that the use of this high-fidelity manikin improves junior residents’ performances. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Université de Montréal in July 2015 and 2016. First-year residents undergoing their mandatory ACLS course were enrolled. The control group (2015) received the traditional curriculum, which includes hands-on teaching on Advanced Life Support manikins. The intervention group (2016) received a similar curriculum, but used a modified high-fidelity manikin that reproduces key features of TCP (e.g. use of multifunction pads, TCP induced patient twitching, ECG artifacts). Cohorts were tested with a simulation scenario requiring TCP. Performances were graded based on six critical tasks: turns on pacer function, applies multifunction pads, recognizes TCP is ineffective, achieves captures, verifies mechanical capture and prescribes sedation. Our primary outcome was successful use of TCP defined as having completed all tasks. Secondary outcomes were the success rates for each task. These were compared using Pearson’s chi-squared test. We anticipated that the success rate of TCP would increase from 20% to 50%. To obtain a power of more than 90%, 48 participants were needed in both cohorts. Results: A total of 50 residents were recruited in both cohorts. No resident that received the traditional curriculum was able to successfully establish TCP while 18 residents trained on the modified high-fidelity manikin succeeded (0 vs 36%, P<0.001). Furthermore, the latter were more likely to recognize when pacing was inefficient (12 vs 86%, P<0.001), obtain ventricular capture (2 vs 48%, P<0.001), and check for a pulse rate to confirm capture (0 vs 48%, P<0.001). Conclusion: Successful use of TCP is a difficult skill to master for junior residents. A modified high-fidelity manikin during ACLS training significantly improves their ability to establish effective pacing.