Drexel Medical School Uses Lifelike Manikin To Teach Caesarean Sections

By Lynne Adkins

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A training tool developed locally will help future doctors and medical personnel save lives during childbirth.

C-Celia is a one-of-a-kind, lifelike “manikin” used to teach students at the Drexel University College of Medicine to perform caesarean sections before seeing a real patient.

Dr. Owen Montgomery, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology, says the device allows a surgery resident “to actually do a caesarean using a knife and cutting through tissue and delivering a baby, just as if it was happening in the real world.  Simulation allows us to put residents in situations where they need to prepare for the future.”

Second-year resident Roxanna Irani said it was like doing the surgery for real.

“It was kind of a fun surprise to get a scalpel and, rather than be saying, ‘Okay I’m going to cut into the abdomen,’ to actually get to do it,” she said.

The damaged parts are repaired or replaced, and C-Celia is ready for the next procedure.

Photo Credit: Lynne Adkins