Medical equipment worth nearly $10,000 will give newborns a less jaundiced outlook on life.
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The Humpty Dumpty Foundation and Suttons Motors have donated a $9,680 Bilisoft LED Phototherapy System to the Armidale Rural Referral Hospital’s maternity department, to treat jaundice – yellowing of the skin and eyes.
"We appreciate the donation immensely,” maternity / paediatric unit manager Cherie Hunter said.
“It will replace outdated equipment, so we can continue to provide the best possible service, and upgrade the care. More effective lighting also means less time in phototherapy.”
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The Humpty Dumpty Foundation has raised money to purchase vital children’s medical equipment for more than 380 children’s hospitals across Australia for nearly 30 years.
Suttons, a long-standing supporter of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, gave the equipment as part of a $75,000 donation to celebrate 75 years of business.
“Suttons Motors’ support of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and the local community in which they operate is immeasurable,” Humpty Dumpty Foundation founder and executive chairman Paul Francis OAM said.
“Their support of families in Armidale means children have access to the latest life-saving medical equipment. I applaud this contribution to Armidale Rural Referral Hospital as it demonstrates Suttons Motors’ commitment to the wider community.”
"I come from Bundarra, and I have ten guys working for me down there,” Suttons division Clerkness Pastoral Company farm manager Chris Strahle said. “They have little children and grandchildren, so it will benefit them."
So what is jaundice?
Jaundice is a common complaint in babies, and the hospital sees one baby a week with it. It affects half of full-term babies and 80% of pre-term babies in their first week of life.
“Jaundice is a normal process that happens in babies when they’re breaking red cells that they don’t need anymore after they’ve been in the womb,” Dr Elizabeth Coterall said.
“Some babies break down more, and so their levels are higher. They’re sleepy; they don’t feed quite so well; so they get dehydrated; and they’re not establishing feeds. They’re low on blood sugars, and they can lose weight. It has a roll-on effect.”
If undetected, it can cause cerebral palsy, deafness, and/or brain damage.
“If we can get onto it early,” Dr Coterall said, “and treat it with the light therapy, we can prevent more complications later on."
Why the new equipment is more effective
Lights help to break down the bilirubin (yellow pigment) so babies can easily excrete it, and the levels in the blood drop. The quality of the lights determines how long babies are on the lights.
The new equipment has a higher concentration of lights than the system it replaces: 35, rather than 30. Its fibreoptic and LED system means there are no bulbs to change.
The old equipment, on the other hand, had lights inside that had to be changed if they blew. Babies would also have to lie on a hard cot, and be zipped up into a blanket.
“A baby would be crying on the cot, and all you could do is pat them,” Dr Coterall said.
The new equipment can be put under the singlet, and lets the baby be swaddled.
"They can be in with Mum; they can be breast-fed, they can be cuddled," Ms Hunter said. "That's really beneficial for bonding with Mum."
"It makes a big difference to a mother's being able to care for her babies while they're receiving treatment,” Dr Coterall said. "The the first few days of life is often a critical time when they're bonding and establishing feeding. The more they get to hold their baby makes it so much easier for them."
The new equipment has been in use for nearly a month.
"We were using this Bilisoft up until yesterday on one of our little babies, who was being cared for in a Resuscitaire unit,” Dr Coterall said. “It didn't intrude on any of the other cares that we needed to provide. We're still able to do our drips, our monitoring, our respiratory support while giving our phototherapy.”