[Anesthesia simulators: benefits and limits of experience gained at several European university hospitals]

Simulation has become essential in all situations where reality was too risky, too expensive, difficult to manage or inaccessible. In anaesthesia, the low rate of accidents and incidents, as well as the necessity to assure patient's safety, limit education and training in crisis management. The progress in data processing allowed the development of realistic anaesthesia simulators, associating the usual environment of an operating room, and made possible the simulation of a wide range of events. Most clinical incidents, mishaps, or manipulation errors can be simulated. A video recording allows the focus of attention on human factors. We assessed simulators in three European University hospitals. In Brussels as in Leiden, simulation was mainly used for training in crisis management. In Basel, the complete operating room staff participated in sessions, including also surgical simulation and improvement of communication within the team was one of the main goals. Simulation is valuable for residents' training, as well as continuing medical education, in crisis management and a better understanding of human factors. It remains without risk for the patient, with video possibilities improving the repetition of selected cases. However, its use for evaluation seems to be premature, due to the absence of studies demonstrating the validity and reproducibility of the results gained with simulation. Beyond technical limits which are amended continuously, the development of simulation is hindered by the very high cost of equipment and instructors.