Belleville hospital inaugurates $35,000 childbirth training system

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Obstetrics nurses and doctors at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Belleville received some high-stress simulation of delivery room problems this week thanks to a $35,000 training system.

The device includes a life-sized mannequin and baby and is programmable to simulate life-threatening childbirth scenarios. Doctors and nurses train with the help of some Hollywood-worthy assistance, including fake blood and peers acting like distraught parents or people getting in their way.

The computer and mannequin system can mirror delivery crises such as seizures, blood loss, emergency C-sections, and other problems. Different parts of the baby mannequin can turn blue to simulate fetal distress.

They video tape the session and capture other data so the participants can see how they performed under stress.

The unit was obtained by Scott Air Force Base through a grant from Madigan Army Medical Center, according to hospital spokeswoman Kelly Barbeau. The hospital inaugurated their training with 12 sessions over a three-day period this week.

On Friday afternoon the session had Dr. Jonathan Mayer running the drill while Dr. Salil Gupta and nurses Beth Ervin, Deb Meidel, Tana Ahle and Jim O'Brien practiced.

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