Funds are being sought for medical equipment that can be
the difference between life and death in Northland and
Auckland.
Northern Rescue is fundraising for
ventilators and video laryngoscopes to be fitted in its
fleet of rescue helicopters across Te Taitokerau and Tāmaki
Makaurau.
Six Hamilton T1 Ventilators valued at
$53,000 each and ten video laryngoscopes worth $60,000 in
total are needed. Two ventilators have so far been
sponsored, however, funding is needed for the final
four.
In addition, five video laryngoscopes are needed
at each of Northern Rescue’s Auckland and Northland
operations to be used in the organisation’s rescue
helicopters, Rapid Response Vehicles, the Whangārei
ambulance and training rooms.
Ross Aitken,
Auckland-based Clinical Operations Manager and Critical Care
Paramedic at Northern Rescue, says the video laryngoscopes
have been in use for five years and like the ventilators,
are nearing end of life.
“The video laryngoscopes
are well used and it is important that our crews have
reliable equipment to ensure that we are providing safe
optimal care to the people of the Northern Region,” says
Aitken.
Video laryngoscopes are used in placing
endotracheal tubes in patients who require assistance to
manage their airway and ventilation.
“Northern
Region has been using video laryngoscopy in the prehospital
setting for a decade. During this time video laryngoscopy
has become the standard of care when delivering prehospital
anesthesia.
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“These video laryngoscopes are then used
in conjunction with ventilators, which are what allow our
clinical teams to provided critical care to our sickest
patients in the Northern Region,” says
Aikten.
Northern Rescue Helicopter Limited (NRHL) has
already received a major boost to its life-saving operations
thanks to generous donations from the Four Winds Foundation
and Trillian Trust, each funding one Hamilton T1
ventilator.
Fonterra has kindly made donation to help
cover the cost of brackets needed to mount the
ventilators.
Paul Davis, Critical Care Paramedic and
Deputy Clinical Operations Manager in Whangārei, says the
current fleet of ventilators are also nearing the end of
their operational life after nearly eight years of service
and having supported hundreds of critically ill and injured
patients.
“The fact is, as patient numbers and
complexity increases, especially during interhospital
transfers which is a substantial part of our workload, we
need more advanced technology that the more modern
ventilators provide. Advanced devices like the Hamilton T1
are essential for these high-acuity missions as they are
designed for in-hospital and prehospital
environments.
That enables the delivery of ICU-level
ventilator strategies in-flight, with improved battery
performance, oxygen efficiency, and a user-friendly
interface that enhances clinical safety.
Patients
requiring mechanical ventilation are among the most
critically unwell ranging from those in respiratory failure
due to chronic illness, to trauma patients with multiple
severe injuries including head trauma.
Davis says the
ventilators enable our clinicians to stabilise patients and
transport them safely and expediently to definitive care
centres, with the mechanical ventilators used by NRHL
clinicians hundreds of times a year (two to three times per
week on average)
Aitken and Davis say they are
essential in minimising secondary complications during
transport, which can arise from the progression of a
patient’s underlying
condition.
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