Episode #5
Phantom Making: The Homemade Ultrasound Training Playbook
Homemade beats store-bought. James Rippey, Kylie Baker, Arun Sett, and Adam O'Brien swap the recipes, rigs, and fridge-life hacks behind the phantoms they actually use to teach POCUS — chicken breast vascular access models, plasticine hearts you can slice open, 3D-printed rib cages for airport-friendly lung ultrasound workshops, and a nerve block model made from sultanas in water balloons. What's covered: Chicken breast + silicone tubing for vascular access — and why it beats synthetic phantoms Modeling balloon sizes (160Q/260Q/360Q) for different vessel scenarios Plasticine heart models sliced to match real echo views (PLAX/PSAX, apical 4/5-chamber) 3D-printed rib phantoms from a baby's CT scan — gelatin, Metamucil and sponge, packable in hand luggage The gelatin ratio that survives travel and heat (10x normal strength) Ballistics gel for neonatal lumbar puncture training Kylie's sultana nerve block recipe, and how long it holds in the fridge Vegan/religious-consideration alternatives: agar agar, vegan gelatin, even cognac A hands-on, low-budget guide for anyone building their own sim lab.
