Limbs & Things

Limbs & Things is a leading healthcare simulation manufacturer committed to improving patient outcomes by facilitating realistic learning experiences. Headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, Limbs and Things creates products that enable healthcare simulation educators to deliver curriculum requirements, bringing greater confidence and competence to healthcare professionals across the world.

Products are researched, designed and created in collaboration with clinicians, and sold through an expanded network of over 70 distributors. With subsidiary offices in Australia and the United States, Limbs & Things has invested in research and development to find the latest materials and processes worldwide. The company stresses that this approach allows for products to be built in a way that is clinically accurate to enhance a learner’s education and simulation training.

In addition to improving patient outcomes through a realistic learning experience, Limbs & Things offers sales and customer service support from demonstration through to aftercare. By providing a sense of availability and assistance, the company has built a level of trust across customers.


Sponsored Content:


Proving trust and credibility, Limbs & Things now has surgery simulation products used as part of Advanced Trauma Life Support courses, and as part of the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery examination. Several products are also recognized for their role in Objective Structured Clinical examinations.

Limbs and Things History

Limbs & Things was founded in 1990 by Margot Cooper, a medical illustrator and active member of the Medical Artists Association of Great Britain and the European Association of Medical & Scientific Illustrators. Considering the emerging technologies, medicine and social issues of the time, there was an increasing movement in the healthcare profession toward developing a new way of gaining clinical skills.

For this reason, Cooper sought to create a version of clinical education that moved away from cadavers and animals, and toward a more cost-effective and repeatable training solution with patient safety in mind. She also wanted these solutions to be anatomically accurate so that learners could become more confident and competent in their abilities. Ultimately, Cooper set out to create clinical simulation task trainers for medical education.


Sponsored Content:


By 1996, Cooper and the team at Limbs & Things were able to open an additional office in Australia. Later, a third office was opened in the United States. Since becoming an international company, the medical simulation manufacturer has incorporated global experience and knowledge into the business strategy. Models created by Limbs & Things are now evaluated and used by international specialists to ensure that the company is meeting and exceeding customer expectations.

In continuing to meet demand through investment, Limbs & Things has worked to constantly expand production. In 2018, the company took on the most ambitious project to-date, the establishment of a new factory. The brand-new space, configured to the exact needs of Limbs & Things, meant manufacturing could be completed with better lead times to customers. At the same time, the company could maintain the strict quality control processes in place.

Over a 25-year history, Limbs & Things has seen success through collaboration. Through partnering with organizations, the company has collected numerous awards. Examples of organization-partnered products include the Breastmilk Expression Trainers made in collaboration with UNICEF, and the PROMPT Birthing Trainers made alongside the PROMPT Foundation.

As the medical simulation world expands and evolves, Limbs & Things has taken task trainers around the world to a huge variety of medical simulation conferences, exhibitions and shows, including those hosted by INACSL, SimGHOSTS, ASPIH, SESAM, or the International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSiH).

Limbs & Things Clinical Skills Trainer Products

Limbs & Things manufactures a number of products ranging from packs to task trainers and add ons. The company also produces consumables and replacement parts. With over 550 products on the market, Limbs & Things uses categories to help customers find the tools that best meet their needs.

For example, ranges include advanced practice, ATLS, ECOSystems, EMS, joint injection, nurse training, pediatric, pharmacy, physician assistant, postgraduate medicine, prompt flex, standardized patients, ultrasound range, undergraduate medicine and what’s new. Alternatively, categories include the areas of anesthesia, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, EMS, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, gynecology, internal medicine, laparoscopic surgery, obstetrics and midwifery, oncology, otology, paramedic science, pediatrics, radiology, rheumatology, sports medicine, trauma and orthopedic surgery, ultrasound and urology.

In terms of packs, Limbs & Things manufacers Blue Concentrated Lubricant Packs for KK40. These packs contain lubricant for the colon-rectum tube of the Colonoscopy Training Model, and each contains 30 sachets of 50ml. Additionally, Pink Lubricant Packs for Endoscope for KKM40 are available and include 30 X 20ml sachets. Knotting tubes, two-colored cords, standard venipuncture arm veins, VALS ligation foams, catheterized foreskins, suprapubic bungs, chest drain ribs and more come in pack-options as well.



As for task trainers, Limbs & Things manufactures male rectal examination trainers, male and female catheterization trainers,standard catheterization trainers. The Standard Catheterization Trainer set contains both male and female catheterization modules and a single pelvic shell that is compatible with both units. At a cost-effective price, the set allows the trainees to learn urinary and suprapubic catheterization techniques, and to be able to practice passing the catheter along the urethra into the bladder.

Other task trainer products include a lumbar puncture model, epidural and lumbar puncture model, ultrasound epidural model, injection trainer, SONON linear ultrasound imaging system, flex birthing simulator, midline perineal repair trainer, standard breast examination model, paracentesis trainer and more.

Add ons produced and distributed by Limbs & Things include the PROMPT flex cervical cerclage module light, venipuncture arm harness, skin pad jig strap, BSS surgical simulation skills board, perineal repair illustration packs and episiotomy illustration packs. The company also manufactures carry cases, standing position stands, postpartum hemorrhage kits, PROMPT flex lower legs (with knee joint interface lights) and rectal examination trainers with or without perineums.

Adding to the realistic nature of the Limbs & Things training solutions, consumables offered can add to a more life-like experience. The tools available for this purpose include a concentrated venous blood starter pack, epidermis for three vein pad, water-based lubricant, SimMom and PROMPT birthing lubricant, simulated breast milk, double layer bowel, milton sterilizing fluid, water system, mock blood and synovial fluid. The concentrated venipuncture blood has been formulated to greatly improve the leak resistance of veins, and makes 2.5 liters. The company also produces a stain-resistant form of simulated blood that can be purchased in one gallon quantities.

Along with all of these products, replacement parts can be purchased and a downloadable catalog is available on the Limbs & Things website for a full review of company products.

Limbs and Things Latest News

IMSH 2023 Vendor Updates

IMSH 2023: Healthcare Simulation Vendor Updates

The International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) is the world’s largest conference dedicated to healthcare simulation learning, research, and scholarship, offering 250+ sessions in various formats, from large plenary ...
global simulation update

Latest Clinical Simulation News From Around the World | December 2022

Helping healthcare simulation educators, administrators, and learners to stay up-to-date on industry topics, HealthySimulation.com finds and shares relevant news and information from around the world. This news includes medical simulation ...
Simulation news from around the world june 2021

Latest Clinical Simulation News From Around the World | June 2021

Helping healthcare simulation educators, administrators and learners to stay up-to-date on industry topics, HealthySimulation.com finds and shares relevant news and information from around the world. This news includes medical simulation ...
Dark Skin Nursing Skills Task Trainers

Transcending Racial Disparity in Healthcare Simulation Education with Limbs & Things

There is a lot of discussion about diversity and cultural sensitivity in our world right now. For many years in healthcare we have encountered annual training that is meant to ...
Limbs and Things Catheterization Trainers

How Urinary Catheterization Trainers Can Save 13,000 Patients a Year

Did you know that urinary tract infections are among the most common Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI), accounting for 13,000 deaths each year? Even more concerning, according to the Centers for ...
14 medical simulation companies

14 Important Medical Simulation Companies to Know!

Learning the lingo of Healthcare Simulation is an important step in developing a Simulation Champion's career. With such knowledge at hand, clinical simulation users can best understand the opportunities, tools, ...
suture training kits

Limbs And Things Provides Online & Hands-on Hybrid Suture Tutor Training Kits

Graham Whiteside from Limbs & Things was on-hand at IMSH 2013 to talk with HealthySimulation.com about their new Limbs Learning Online training platform which combines online courseware with hands-on training kits ...

Sponsored Content: