Funds raised at this year’s Star 102.1 Radiothon will be used to purchase the following items to help Children’s Hospital better care for its patients:
Oxygen Concentrator -- need 15 at a total cost of $11,250
These machines are used for patients with chronic or acute respiratory conditions. The machine takes room air (typically about 27% oxygen) and concentrates it to 96% oxygen. The concentrator minimizes the use of tanks, which are more cumbersome and dangerous. The new units will replace older units; the new ones weigh half as much and are half the size of the existing units.
Ventilator/BIPAP units -- need 7 at a total cost of $65,100
These units are new on the market; they are ventilators that can be used traditionally (with a tracheotomy) or as a non-invasive ventilator (without the need for a trach). Until the development of these units, there was nothing approved by the FDA to do this for children under 60 pounds; this is approved for patients as small as 11 pounds.
Ventilator Heater Humidifier -- need 8 at a total cost of $8,000
These units increase humidity and temperature in the air a patient receives through a tracheotomy or through a non-invasive ventilator. The unit is attached to the ventilator. The heat and humidity it adds to the ventilator air help loosen secretions in the patient to prevent the development of airway difficulties.
Cough Assist Machine – need 1 at a cost of $4,500
A cough assist machine helps to clear secretions from the lungs by helping with breathing. When the patient breathes in (inspiration), the machine gives air (positive pressure) to help expand the patient’s lungs. When the patient blows out (expiration), the machine creates a sucking force (negative pressure) that pulls the air out of the lungs. This rapid change in pressure during the different phases of breathing helps make a cough stronger and more effective.
CPAP units -- need 20 at a total cost of $31,000
Patients who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea should be monitored in the Children’s Sleep Medicine Center to determine the appropriate amount of air pressure for them to receive to help with breathing during sleep. Treatment for obstructive sleep apnea involves keeping the throat open to aid airflow by using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which is delivered by having the child wear a nose mask while sleeping. The mask is connected to a pump that forces air into the nasal passages at pressures high enough to overcome obstructions in the airway and stimulate normal breathing.
BiPAP units -- need 5 at a total cost of $9,750
These non-invasive ventilators are used to treat children weighing over 40 pounds with severe obstructive sleep apnea. The machine maintains the child’s airway without requiring a tracheotomy. With BiPAP, air delivered through a mask can be set at one pressure for inhaling and another for exhaling. The dual settings allow patients to get more air in and out of their lungs with less effort.
Mini O2 tanks -- need 5 sets at a total cost of $2,000
Oxygen tanks are used to hold oxygen for patients who require this treatment. Standard tanks are large, bulky and not portable. Mini tanks are portable, allowing the patient to be able to travel away from home when needed or desired. They can easily be carried in a bag or backpack.
14" (extra small) wheelchairs -- need 5 at a total cost of $3,850
A wheelchair that does not fit a child is not only an inconvenience but also is a safety hazard. In an ill-fitted wheelchair, a small child can easily fall through the gap in the backing, lose control of the chair on a ramp and or have difficulty maneuvering. Smaller chairs are not mass-produced because of low demand, causing the cost per chair to be higher than a standard adult wheelchair. But these chairs are needed to ensure safety and greater mobility for children who must use a wheelchair. The wheelchairs are for Home Health Care patients.
Feeding pumps -- need 10 at a total cost of $7,500
In Home Health Care, feeding pumps are used to feed babies and children through a tube inserted in their stomach or nose. These children have any one of many conditions where they do not take in enough nutrition orally to be able to grow properly. We currently have more than 400 patients throughout our service area who use this piece of equipment at the child’s home or carried in a small backpack when going out. The feeding pumps that Children’s Hospital Home Health Care uses are small, easy to learn about and easy to use, and therefore very family-friendly.
CADD Prism Infusion Pump – need 2 at a cost of $6,050
This small pump is about the size of an adult hand and fits easily into a small fanny pack. It allows patients to be mobile when receiving chemotherapy, Total Parenteral Nutrition or antibiotics. This computerized pump also allows patients with cancer or other serious conditions to control the administration of medication for pain management. The pump is about one-eighth the size of a standard IV pump and is used by Home Health Care patients.
Pulse oximetry units – need 10 at a total cost of $25,000
A pulse oximeter measures the amount of oxygen in a patient’s blood. It requires no “needle stick”-- only something that looks like a bandage wrapped around the patient’s finger. This instrument is used on patients who require home oxygen, have severe asthma or are ventilator-dependent. These devices can be operated on batteries, thus making them easy to transport.
Phototherapy unit – need 1 at a cost of $3,200
A condition common in newborns is jaundice, more technically called hyperbilirubin. When a baby has too many red blood cells, he or she cannot process them and get rid of the waste product quickly enough. This results in the yellow skin color that is associated with jaundice. This portable piece of equipment looks like a suitcase. When opened, it has space for a baby to lie inside to be treated by the unit’s phototherapy lights. The lights help break down the waste product in the baby’s body, which resolves the jaundice and helps the baby feel better.
Mid-size delivery vehicle – need 1 at a cost of $24,900
The staff of Children’s Hospital Home Health Care put a great deal of miles on their vehicles each year, as they provide care to children throughout the hospital’s 16-county service area. Depending on a patient’s needs, a nurse may make a trip to the child’s home in a Home Health Care car, carrying a small number of supplies for the patient, or a technician or therapist may need a van to transport a large piece of medical equipment to the child’s home. Home Health Care must continuously maintain its fleet of vehicles in good operating condition to ensure the staff can get supplies and equipment to patients in a timely manner, and this year, the department needs to replace an aging delivery vehicle.
CAREPAGES SERVICE FOR HOSPITAL PATIENT FAMILIES – AT COST OF $5,000
The Internet offers an opportunity for families to create simple web pages about a sick or injured relative. The pages can be updated as often as the family chooses, and guests to the page can see the updates about the patient anytime they access the family’s web page. This proves easier to families than having to repeat the same information through phone calls or multiple emails to different family and friends seeking updates. It is, therefore, a help and comfort to these patient families. With funds raised by the Star 102.1 Radiothon, Children’s Hospital offers CarePages for our patient families, who are able to access the service through computers in the hospital’s Family Resource Center or in their own homes. Children’s Hospital licenses CarePages, which is offered free to our patient families.
