Genesys Regional Medical Center is contributing to Kettering University’s Bio-Mechanical and Bio-Engineering research efforts by donating a life-like birthing simulator to the University.

The simulator was designed for doctors and nurses at Genesys Regional Medical Center to mimic potential emergencies that may arise during the birthing process and allow them to practice working together to deliver care. At Kettering University, the birthing simulator is housed in the Mechanical Engineering department in the C.S. Mott Building, but will be used by faculty and students across campus.

“At Genesys they simulate situations that might happen during a birth and then practice how they deal with it,” said Dr. Theresa Atkinson, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at Kettering University. “Here we want to use the tool to simulate a broader range of medical procedures.”

The simulator is made up of a life-like plastic model of a woman attached to a computer and multiple touch screens. An infant dummy can be installed in her abdomen and the birthing process can be simulated in the lab. The model’s right arm is flush with veins to allow for injections and her eyes open and close in response depending on the simulation. The emergency situations are stimulated in the model via the computer connections.

Kettering faculty and staff will use the simulator for a variety of tasks that range from bio-engineering to enhancing learning opportunities for pre-med students on campus.

“We have a design group that is looking at how you can use this simulator to build training systems for doctors. They want to help doctors develop a good touch when they are guiding the baby out during the birthing procedure,” Atkinson said. “Sometimes the baby gets stuck and the physician has to move the baby around or use forceps, or pull the baby out with a vacuum. If you pull too hard, you might stretch the baby’s spinal cord and that’s never good.”

Additionally, in Dr. Patrick Atkinson’s Introduction to Bio-Engineering Applications class, students will be exposed to the simulation in order to familiarize themselves with laparoscopic surgery - a minimally invasive procedure that is performed through a small incision in the abdomen. The simulation will allow students in the class to experiment with the sensitivity of the procedures from the physician’s perspective.

“If the students understand the environment the doctor works in, they can design things in a way that makes it easier for the doctor when they are working with patients,” Theresa Atkinson said.

Having the simulation in the class will give engineering students a better sense of the experience for medical end users so they can design superior surgical tools and implants that a doctor will use in surgery.

“There are quite a few different medical procedures that can be simulated on this tool that can help students better understand what they are getting into and help them understand what the physician does day-to-day,” Atkinson said.  

The simulation will also be helpful for pre-med students at Kettering as it will provide a teaching tool and forum for guest speakers who will now be equipped with the ability to demonstrate certain medical procedures and situations in addition to speaking about them.

“I like the idea that it gives us the opportunity to bring out the medical side of engineering. We get a large percentage of students that are interested in that side of things,” Atkinson said. “I think that a lot of other people don’t know how many different things you can do with engineering and this simulation will help them understand those opportunities.”