THE CHALLENGE
Dystocia, an abnormal or difficult birth often caused by a large or awkwardly positioned fetus, is a common and serious concern— particularly in cattle and horses. It is a major cause of fetal death and often requires veterinarian intervention. Properly training veterinarians for these events can be tricky, as there are very few clinical cases that can be used for training. Current training in dystocia management involves the use of fresh or previously frozen fetal specimens which is smelly and messy; unpreserved specimens can also spread livestock borne illnesses to veterinary students.
OUR SOLUTION
Fawzy Elnady at Virginia Tech has improved upon the “Elnady Technique” for specimen preservation and developed a dystocia simulator to help train veterinary students in how to handle various difficult birth scenarios. New steps in the preservation process ensure that specimens remain flexible after they’re preserved. This results in realistic, durable, clean, dry, and odorless fetal models that can be used for training over multiple years. Rather than obtaining fetuses annually and disposing of them after training, this model will enable schools to make one purchase and avoid disposal costs.
Fetal specimens preserved using the updated Elnady technique.
Veterinary students using the Large Animal Dystocia Simulator to practice fetal manipulation techniques.
