Sunday, November 1, 2009
Every Breath You Take
During a transport an infant's airway must be stabilized. The neonatal transporter has a built in ventilator. Sometimes a high frequency ventilation system is used such as the Bronchotron. This ventilator delivers 200-800breaths per minute. There are tanks for air, oxygen and even nitric oxide. Pulse oximetry will let us know the oxygen saturation and the cardio-respiratory monitor will give us the heart rate and respirations. Also built in is a suction machine, which helps to clean obstructions to the infant's airway. If the proper level of oxygen is not delivered it could lead to asphyxia, which is a condition in which there is a significantly reduced oxygen supply to the tissues with build-up of carbon dioxide and lactic acid. This could lead to cell and organ damage, which in turn could lead to survival with damage or worst case scenario, death. What a drastic change the transport incubator has undergone in the last seventy years.
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I have enjoyed your posts about the technology and the evolution of the transport incubator. It sounds like it has come a long way. Can you think of anything more that would make the transport isolette better than it is today? Sometimes we see a technology and can't imagine it any better, but there is always someone out there who has the imagination to create something new and better. It is amazing!
ReplyDeleteGreat information regarding the isolette. The type of patients you care for are just so fragile. The isolette was created so magnificently to care for this type of patient and your blog definitely highlights it's importance.
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