|
The neonatal unit at Mowbray Maternity Hospital is a state-of-the-art ward for babies who are born prematurely, and full-term infants who are ill at birth. This ward is serviced by highly trained neonatal doctors and nurses. There are a total of 73 ‘beds’ in the ward, including 7 intensive care unit incubators in the NICU (Neonatal ICU). The neonatal unit is made up of the NICU, High Care, Special Care and Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) sections. The 73 bed unit is constantly busy, resulting in very heavy use of equipment. The funding allocated by Province, especially in times of marked financial constraint, is unfortunately insufficient for the needs of the Neonatal Unit. For example, whilst the Hospital strongly advocates kangaroo mother care, many mothers have casual employment and are not able to stay in hospital for long periods of time. Incubators are therefore needed for the large number of preterm infants when their mothers are at work. Funds from Province have only allowed the Hospital to purchase a fraction of the number of incubators which need to be upgraded. The critical needs list of the Neonatal Unit includes incubators, monitors, ventilators, warmers, flow drivers and phototherapy lights. The total cost of the equipment upgrade project is R10 million. |
|
"State-of-the-art equipment is vital for the specialised work we do in the Neonatal Unit at Mowbray Maternity Hospital. Every piece of equipment on our "wish list" either upgrades outdated technology, or replaces obsolete or broken equipment. We welcome the tireless contribution of the people at Peninsula Maternity Trust, who are as dedicated as we are to ensure that every sick or premature baby born at our hospital is given the best possible care. Our tiny patients deserve this!” Dr. Lucy Linley, Neonatologist-in-Charge, Mowbray Maternity Hospital |
|
Phototherapy lights |
||||
| A total of 25 new phototherapy light emitting units (LED) are needed for all sections of the Neonatal Unit (ICU, High Care, Special Care) plus the postnatal wards. |  |
|||
| 5 x freestanding phototherapy units | ||||
| 15 x mini overhead free standing units | ||||
| 5 X phototherapy bedlets |
|
Monitors |
||||
| 3 x Olympic Brainz AEEG Monitors |
|
|||
| This machine is used to monitor brain function and seizures in newborn babies. One monitor is used per baby for 3 days. With 2,800 babies per year requiring this treatment, these monitors are used extensively. | ||||
| 7 x DASH Cardiac Monitors | ||||
| This machine is used to monitor heart function, blood pressure, oxygen levels in the blood, respiratory rate and temperature. One baby may be monitored at a time per monitor. At any one time, there are 13 babies on these monitors. This equipment is used extensively and the wear and tear from heavy use is great. |
|
Incubators |
||||
| Closed incubators make up the bulk of the beds in the Neonatal Unit of Mowbray Maternity Hospital. Approximately 45 infants are in closed incubators per day. The average bed occupancy rate is 90-95%, and the average stay of a newborn infant in the Neonatal Unit is 12 days. On average, of the 30 babies delivered at Mowbray Maternity Hospital per day, 10 will need an incubator for some time. Annually close on 4000 babies may require incubator care. |
|
|||
| 30 X Dräger Isolette C2000 closed incubators | ||||
| This incubator has proven to have a number of features that make it the optimal “stable baby” incubator. | ||||
| 6 X Dräger Caleo (closed incubator) | ||||
| This is a special needs incubator with large incubator doors, allowing easy access in case the infant still needs procedures. The technology minimises stress to the baby; the less stress on the ill newborn baby, the better the progress. | ||||
| 7 X Giraffe Omnibed combination incubator) | ||||
| This is a combination machine: a double-walled closed incubator as well as a radiant warmer. This is essentially two incubators in one: less equipment is required for care-giving, cleaning, service, and storage. Seven babies would benefit at any one time from these combination incubators, freeing up 7 closed incubators. | ||||
| 2 X SLE Ventilators | ||||
| The SLE ventilator is a tried and tested ventilator in the NICU. There are currently 3 which are used for very ill infants who require maximum respiratory support. These are all well-used and therefore require regular repairs; they need replacement soon. At least 2 well-functioning ventilators are used at any one time in the Neonatal Unit. | ||||
| 10 X CPAP/HUMflow Drivers | ||||
| CPAP or humidified airflow is a gentle form of ventilatory support preferred in neonatal care worldwide. Early use of this mode of support prevents lung collapse and lung damage: both ventilator-related and disease-related. | ||||
|
Neonatal Unit Parents’ Room When any newborn is sick in the neonatal unit, parents spend all hours of the day and night at the Hospital. In the case of death, this parents’ room is used for counselling. The parents’ room is an important space and one which is used daily. The Peninsula Maternity Trust would dearly love to make this space less sterile and more supportive – it requires soft furnishings and a level of comfort appropriate to supporting the parents. |
 |
|
|
|
||
|
Mother’s Lodge The neonatal unit presently has a small lodging facility which can accommodate 8 mothers. With the large, increasing number of pre-term babies, more and more mothers need to be with their babies. The critical need to expand this lodging facility has become apparent because of the high turnover rate of postnatal patients. A lodge for 20 mothers is possible by refurbishing flats attached to the Hospital.
|
 |
