Respiratory failure; two words no parent ever wants to hear relating to their baby.
But for children in their first year of life in the Gympie region that will need to be ventilated due to respiratory failure, it’s reassuring to know that a state-of-the-art Oxylog 3000+ paediatric ventilator worth $27,200 has arrived at Gympie Hospital’s Emergency Department (DEM).
The paediatric ventilator had been the top priority item on the ‘wish list’ for Gympie Hospital and was funded by Wishlist thanks to a $17,000 grant from the Honda Foundation, $8,000 donated through Bakers’ Delight April 5th ‘Bundraiser Day’ along with $1,000 from a staff social day at Nolan Meats. The remaining $1,200 was raised at the 2013 Wishlist Autumn Ball organised by Gympie DEM staff.
Samantha Ward, DEM Acting Nurse Unit Manager, said the new Oxylog ventilator which is designed for children in their first year of life has the capability to ventilate babies and still be able to transport them at the same time.
“Many of the babies in this age and weight range are transported by helicopter or Ambulance to a tertiary hospital in Brisbane for definitive care, and with the Oxylog 3000+ also used by the retrieval team during transit, having the same ventilator greatly assists in the handover, providing ease of conversion to their equipment,” Samantha said.
The Oxylog 3000+ has the capacity to ventilate babies from just six kilos up to 20 kilos using a specific paediatric airway circuit, enabling Emergency staff to provide quality ventilation to an even wider range of patients with a single device.
“The new paediatric ventilator keeps us in line with the standard of care provided at other hospitals and is invaluable in a life support situation involving very young children,” Samantha explained. “We are extremely grateful to the businesses that made its purchase possible.”
Trustee of The Honda Foundation, Sherif Ziada, said it was an honour to help Wishlist purchase this invaluable piece of equipment. “We are proud of dealers such as Pacific Honda Gympie, who help us identify and support charities and initiatives in local communities just like this all-year round,” he said.
Likewise, Bakers Delight said its contribution was made possible thanks to the support of the community for their local bakery and the company is honoured to contribute to the purchase of vital equipment to help kids across Queensland.
Wishlist CEO Lisa Rowe said these local businesses should feel proud of their efforts in fundraising, which could “end up saving the lives of babies belonging to families right here in Gympie."
