20 hours ago
Fundraising Drive On For Lifesaving Medical Equipment
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.
'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.
