Something directly medical themed again for todays Medical Monday, and the production of simulated rashes to go on the high-fidelity medical robots.
When I became an NHS Education Technician, I didn't really know much about Sepsis. It was just a weird sort of infection you sometimes got, right? Pretty rare, a bit unpleasant, but there were bigger things to worry about. Right?
Well, now I've worked 3 1/2 years in Medical Education, I am f*cking terrified of Sepsis. It's bloody everywhere. We train the medical staff in Sepsis recognition and treatment in nearly every multi-scenario course we do, and for a good reason. Sepsis is a killer. You can get secondary infection with Sepsis through just getting a cut, hell, in the last week as I type this, a chap nearly died from Sepsis acquired after bursting a spot on his neck. If that isn't enough to scare you, I don't know what is.
Here's my Public Service Bit, as the bought-and-paid-for NHS employee that I am:
Bluntly- the signs of Sepsis; a rash that doesn't fade when you roll a glass over it (the same as you get with meningitis), high temperature, confusion and slurred speech, difficult or shallow breathing, pale or discoloured skin. OK a lot of the above can be mistaken for other medical conditions, so if you've had an open wound and notice any of the above in the aftermath, if in doubt, go seek medical help immediately.
As you can imagine then, replicating Sepsis (and the similar rash you get with Anaphylaxis, the allergic reactions to things like antibiotics or bee stings) is a biggy for us. And quite tricky to convincingly do on a mannequin made of latex.
Since I joined, the technique (developed by my predecessors) was a quick one, for the tight turn-around times between Scenarios. See, we do a scenario, then the candidates go next door for a debrief, which gives us anywhere from 5-20 minutes to set up for the next one. So we have to be a bit speedy, especially if they've left the place covered in equipment or meds to tidy up as well.
Classic NHS-Issue Single Ply Loo Roll (with all the comfort and softness associated with the phrase 'Government Issue'), dotted with red marker pen if you're in a rush, or fake blood if you remember to do it the day before. Trying not to make the spots too regular or small.
Slathered in Vaseline, which helps it go transparent, with the noticeable downside of making the robot exceedingly greasy and unpleasant to the touch. Plus, if you've done the 'oh hell, I forgot I needed a rash, where's the permanent marker' technique it can sometimes bleed-through to the skin. I rather felt a more detailed solution might have been in order.
Being as we were somewhat blessed with better budgets when I started, the robots were still under warranty, which meant when they'd had yearly services, the engineers changed the skins. And thus, there were a couple of old, slightly worn and marked, chest skins just otherwise doing nothing...
Creative solutions to a problem- I needed the chest filled to work on, but didn't want it on the robot (both because Sim Man is an absolute Unit, and a bugger to move around, and also because I didn't want to clumsily splatter paint on him). Luckily we had a beach ball I'd donated into the props box at work, so out that came to fill the chest.
For the effect of raised blotchy spots, after some experimentation I settled on blobs of superglue (second only to duct-tape, and one slot above Philips Screwdriver, in the Essential Technicians Toolbox).
Should I ever wish to shoot a shower gel or shampoo commercial with Sim Man, I now know the solution. And knowing is of course half the battle.
If only there had been a dispenser with 300 or so gloves in the room I was working in. The fake blood doesn't half stain. I used a mix of this, and Citadel acrylics. The chap in Warhammer (Leeds) didn't half give me a look when I tried to explain to him why I was buying a dozen pots of 4 different shades of blood-coloured paint.
So experiment one wasn't a great success. The raised blobs took on more of a blistered look, though worth bearing in mind for a possible chemical burn scenario.
We aren't made of spare chests, so I had to painstakingly scrape off all the raised blisters. Then, it was out with the paint... again... to try doing it all with just paint this time, no low-relief effects. Experiment Two wasn't bad, but it also didn't quite work, as the splatters were a bit too dark.
Various washes and dilutions later, I'd successfully toned-down the darker patches. Applying the rash by spattering the chest with a mix of blood and paint worked a treat... and also meant I had to spend an afternoon cleaning a wall, two tables, the floor and the tissue-fridge door. Wamp-wammmp.
Worth it though. Two of us working in concert can strip the 'regular' chest skin off Sim Man and fit this one (4 zips and a slightly awkward slot and tab arrangement in his groin) in the same time it took to apply the patented loo roll version. Faculty seem happy with this one too, though I may come back to it this summer to do a little more work on it.
And again, for God's sake, familiarise yourself with the symptoms of Sepsis.
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