The Bonnie Babes Foundation has funded the purchase of critical medical equipment that is used to help save babies lives all over Australia.
These include;
Fetal ECG Recorder
The Bonnie Babes Foundation funded the Perinatal Research Centre at the Royal Women’s Hospital Brisbane in supplying a fetal ECG machine.
During the birth process there is a risk that the baby will suffer a shortage of oxygen. The effects of this may range from no ill effects though to death or brain damage if the shortage of oxygen is more severe. It is unlikely that any serious effects of a shortage of oxygen will occur until the heart activity is impaired. Impaired heart function may be detected by analysis of the shape of the ECG.
The Perinatal Research Centre is a world research leader in a new method that directly monitors the oxygen level of the fetus. Combining the ability to measure fetal oxygen levels with the ECG analysis will result in marked improvements in the detection of those fetuses who truly are distressed and at risk of an adverse outcome. Prevention of death or brain damage in the baby during labour is the target of this research and vital equipment.
Intensive Care Incubator Cot
This new model incubator is for intensive care babies requiring constant monitoring and treatment. It opens at both sides for quick and easy access for emergency treatment procedures and has double insulation for more even temperature control.
This incubator can be a very important part of the care of babies in intensive care.
The Foundation is currently raising funds to purchase one such cot for a maternity hospital in Victoria. Our ultimate aim is to purchase even more cots with funds raised in the future.
An oxygen Microblender for the John Flynn Hospital
The Microblender blends air and oxygen together ensuring the preterm infant is receiving an accurate delivery of oxygen for their individual needs. Infants not receiving the correct amount of oxygen can suffer brain damage.
Actigraph Monitor
The Bonnie Babes Foundation has also purchased an Actigraph Mini Motion logger for the research team at Monash University Department of Pediatrics. The Monash team is studying breathing patterns in infants during sleep, particularly those babies born prematurely who are more likely to have unstable breathing.
The Actigraph Monitor, an essential tool for this research, is attached to the baby’s chest and records the activity of the breathing muscles during a night’s sleep. To understand how these breathing patterns develop in early infancy will improve treatment of unstable breathing in premature babies.
Pregnancy Probe
The Bonnie Babes Foundation has funded the purchase of an Ultrasound Probe in a Recurrent Miscarriage service in hospitals to help with the assessment and surveillance of the early weeks of pregnancy in women attending this service. This probe is designed for and dedicated to the needs of this particular recurrent miscarriage clinical service. Such a probe replaces and significantly upgrades the current ultrasound probe in several hospitals for the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic assessments.