HeartSWell have donated a new piece of equipment to the Cardiology Department at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (Derriford). 

The trans-oesophageal echocardiography simulator (TOE) will be able to mimic an echcardiogram (echo), which uses sound waves to create moving pictures of the heart. 

Plymouth is now one of only a few hospitals in the country to own a TOE simulator.

The simulator will allow registrars and clinical fellows to learn the skills necessary to diagnose critical situations in theatre. Without the use of a simulator, trainees would only to be gain this experience in the 'live' environment during actual surgical procedures. 

Cardiothoracic anaesthetist, Mark Bennett, said:

It’s very fortunate that we now have a high fidelity echo-simulator, which has been kindly donated by the charity, HeartSWell. The simulator will allow us to learn the techniques of both trans-oesophageal and transthoracic echo in our new sim-suite in the intensive care unit.