Ken & Ena McIntos' donation helped purchase four near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring devices
Surrey Memorial Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has introduced potentially life-saving technology that helps clinicians monitor in real-time how much oxygen a patient's brain is consuming.
said Dr. Samar Yousufi, a pediatrician and neonatologist at Surrey Memorial Hospital. current leader He was excited when four near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring devices were delivered last week.
“In my opinion, the brain is the most important organ and should be most importantly monitored during the ICU stay, as it influences neurodevelopmental outcomes.” Monitor organs were often the least monitored because of “traditional techniques,'' Yusufi said.
“The innovative near-infrared spectroscopic monitoring device will allow pediatricians to better monitor high-risk infants and will significantly contribute to improving the quality of care in the NICU,” he said.
Although the use of near-infrared spectroscopy techniques in intensive care units is not new, it is relatively new in NICUs.
“Surrey Memorial Hospital is developing a British One of the first hospitals in Columbia,” a Friday (Feb. 29) release from Surrey Memorial Hospital said.
Typically, in an intensive care unit, clinicians monitor patients for a variety of things, including breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, etc., but often monitor their brains continuously unless the patient tells them there is a problem. There is nothing to do, says Yusufi. He said.
The tool monitors how much oxygen a patient's brain is consuming and provides continuous feedback. “It's also a problem if the brain is consuming too much oxygen, or it's a problem if the brain is consuming too little oxygen,” Yusfi says.
“We can measure the oxygen consumption of our organs and, based on that consumption, say, 'Okay, your brain is getting enough oxygen, it's happy, there's nothing to worry about.'” Or It can also alert doctors and nurses that something may be wrong.
Yusufi said this is not a device that all patients in the 32-bed NICU will need.
“On average, one in eight newborns is critically ill and is at risk of developing central nervous system damage,” Yusufi said. “We intend to use this machine only in patients where monitoring of oxygen consumption is considered important,” Yusufi said.
Although this machine can be used to monitor oxygen levels in other organs, it is primarily used in the NICU to monitor oxygen levels in the brain.
Yusufi said babies born prematurely are at increased risk for long-term developmental outcomes. Babies born with lung or kidney problems often recover within the first few years of life or may stop growing, he said.
“But if you have a brain problem or a brain injury, you have to endure it for the rest of your life.”
“Improving the monitoring of brain oxygenation and brain consumption could be used as another tool to better monitor newborns who may have this type of brain injury, making sure that certain abnormalities are not adequately monitored. It gives us early warning and allows us as doctors and nurses to act early and hopefully prevent brain damage.'' With the aim of preventing injury, or at least averting serious danger. is. ”
“Babies born prematurely are at risk for complications in their developmental outcomes in the long term. And if the problems I've had for a long time are caused by long-term causes, I'd say the next couple of times. You can solve it when it gets repaired in years. If you have a problem with your kidneys, you need to enlarge your kidneys. But if you have problems with your brain, if you have a brain injury, I have to live the rest of my life.
Ken and Ena McIntosh donated $60,000 to Surrey Hospital Foundation to support the purchase of four near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring devices.
“In November 2023, our twin granddaughters were born prematurely at Surrey Memorial Hospital, where they spent three weeks in the NICU department and received exceptional care from the NICU staff,” Ken McIntosh said Thursday (February 2023). 29) in a release from the Surrey Hospital Foundation. “We learned from Dr. Yusufi the importance of implementing his NIRS technology in his NICU at SMH and his desire to be a leader in the state. I was happy to contribute and help other babies that I could.”
Dr. Yusufi expressed his sincere gratitude to the McIntosh family for making this possible.
“This generous donation will help ensure our dedicated neonatal and pediatric teams have the latest technology and are able to provide the best care to the most vulnerable people in our communities. It helps,” said Janet Murphy, executive director of maternal and child care at Fraser Health. In a release from Surrey Hospital Foundation. “We recognize and value the role of philanthropy as we expand Surrey Memorial Hospital’s obstetric, neonatal, pediatric and women’s health infrastructure.”
