Innovative Realistic Low-Cost Newborn Chest Drain Manikin

Aim: Insertion of a chest drain in a newborn infant is a procedure commonly performed in an emergency setting. There are no commercially available neonatal chest drain insertion simulation models. We aim to build an inexpensive and realistic model. Methods: A discarded Laerdal Newborn manikin was modified with an internal rib cage, obtained from a decorative Halloween child skeleton. A synthetic silicone layer was used as a subcutaneous tissue and a resealable snack bag as lungs. This cost approximately $110 AUD. Medical staff were invited to use the manikin for chest drain insertion using a Safe-T centesis device. Results: Thirty medical officers (50% were registrars and the rest senior medical officers) participated in the study. Fidelity was rated high and there was no difference in the reported aesthetics, tactility, location of anatomy, ease of drainage of air or fluid amongst the registrars, fellows or neonatal consultants. Conclusions: It is feasible to build a realistic, high-fidelity manikin for newborn chest drain insertion. The use of a low-cost high-fidelity chest drain model needs to be evaluated in further studies.