Usability and Application of Home-Made Ultrasound Phantom for Practicing FAST Exam During Simulated Mass Casualty Incident

Abstract : Phantoms are incredibly helpful in simulation of the human body. Human subjects are not harmed, and desired anomalies can be easily replicated. When utilizing ultrasound equipment, the phantom not only needs to be replicable of the human body but mimic that of soft tissue and any desired effects of disease when using ultrasound waves for imaging. However, when conducting mass casualty simulations, an ultrasound phantom type is not always easily accessible or cost-effective. Instead, a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach was used to create a cost-effective phantom of gelatin and a fiber supplement mixed in varying ratios to achieve the desired soft tissue phantom. A latex balloon filled with water and ultrasound gel was placed in the casting of the gelatin phantom along with clay model kidneys and liver. The Morrison’s pouch was filled with ultrasound gel to simulate free fluid. The phantom was deemed acceptable for ultrasound simulation of the right upper quadrant (RUQ) after a quick scan with the ultrasound machine. During the simulation exercise, the students identified the free fluid area correctly, enhancing their learning objective. The phantom was found useful as a cost-effective tool in mimicking soft tissue for ultrasound use in a brief period. After day three, the effectiveness of the phantom decreased as the mimicked free fluid slowly seeped out, which deemed the phantom undesirable for further use. Although the success of the phantom was short-lived, the cost of the phantom was worth the short-term use in meeting the learning objective for the students.