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ENDOBRONCHIAL ULTRASOUND - A TOOL TO ENHANCE DIAGNOSIS OF LUNG CANCER - $102,500
The respiratory unit is seeking funding to upgrade its current bronchoscopy services with new technology called an endobronchial ultrasound.
The department does more than 400 bronchoscopies per year, which involves using a flexible fibre optic channel to visualise the inside of the lung. It is used to diagnose many lung conditions including lung cancer. In more than 40% of cases a bronchoscopy cannot detect all lesions because they are beyond the accessible area for the scope.
In these cases a CT guided FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) is required, which involves piercing the chest wall with a needle under the guidance of a CT scanner. This procedure can have considerable risks including bleeding in the lung and air leaking from the lung (pneumothorax). When this occurs a patient must be hospitalised for observation.
The unit has identified new technology which will reduce these risks. An endobronchial ultrasound can be used inside the airways and would provide a non invasive means of allowing surgeons to see significantly further and deeper into the lungs to reach lesions which were previously thought to be unreachable, as well as providing a safer mode of diagnosing legions than the CT guided FNAC.
ANGIOGRAPHY VIEWING WORKSTATION - $30,000
Angiograms detect blockages in the blood vessels within the arteries, veins and the heart. Images from the angiograms are stored on digital film which is assessed by doctors making diagnosis of coronary conditions. 3,000 patients at Flinders undergo this procedure every year.
Currently angiograms for both public and private patients are taken on level 3 of the Flinders Private Hospital (which is also where the digital film is stored) but the actual Coronary Care Unit is on level 6 of the public hospital.
Because the clinics are located on two different levels and in different parts of the hospital, doctors do not currently have the capacity to view or make immediate clinical decisions for the patient who has just undergone an angiogram. The installation of an Angiography Viewing Workstation will make a significant difference to the workflow for FMC clinicians within the Coronary Care Unit and allow them to make immediate clinical decisions within the Unit whilst reducing anxiety and waiting times for patients.
ICCU BARIATRIC CHAIR - $20,000
The Intensive and Critical Care Unit cares for more than 2100 critically ill patients at Flinders every year. The Unit would like to purchase a Bariatric chair to answer an increasing demand which they put down to Australia’s population increasing in size.
Sitting out of bed while a patient is recovering from a critical illness is important to avoid the complications of bed rest, and to allow the patients to be mobilised and receive physiotherapy or rehabilitation treatment while sitting upright.
Nurses will lift bariatric patients out of the bed and into the chair using a patient lifter, or ease them into the chair. These chairs are also particularly comfortable for bariatric patients to avoid the breathing difficulties they often have when they are lying on their backs in bed.
Currently bariatric chairs are hired as required in the FMC ICCU, but this is not ideal. As patients can be in the ICU for some time and the need for bariatric equipment is increasing, the ICCU is very eager to have an onsite chair available at all times
GAITRITE WALKWAY SYSTEM - $25,000 (exc. GST)
This piece of equipment is deemed an essential for the accurate and reliable assessment of patients with gait impairments. Reduced mobility is common among the elderly and individuals with neurological impairments (e.g. Stroke, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes) and musculoskeletal conditions (e.g. Osteoarthritis, Arthroplasty, Lower Limb Amputees). An individual's level of functional mobility is closely related to their quality of life . The GaitRite Walkway System will assist in enhancing their quality of life.
TREADMILL FOR LUNG FUNCTION - $20,000
The Respiratory Unit is seeking a treadmill for patients undergoing a lung function test which is used to assess patients who have various breathing problems, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Doctors assess a patient’s condition and their response to treatment through evaluating how their lungs respond after walking a set distance. Currently, patients take this test by walking for six minutes through the busy main corridor on Level 6 of the FMC.
A treadmill would allow patients to take the test in a more private setting. It will also allow doctors to give the patients a “blind” test where they are unaware whether they are being tested breathing oxygen or air – currently the cylinders are obvious to the patients who are doing the corridor test, and this knowledge can influence the results.
The Respiratory Unit would like to purchase a highly accurate medical treadmill which will not require ongoing recalibration for speed and distance accuracy – essential for obtaining accurate and consistent results. A medical treadmill is also not affected by patient weight the way a standard treadmill can be.
Doctors expect this treadmill will not require any ongoing maintenance and it is expected to last for many years.
MILK FREEZER FOR THE INTENSIVE CARE NEONATAL UNIT - $6,000
The freezer meets the immediate need for freezing the expressed milk from mothers of premature babies. Frozen milk can be stored for 6 months without any risk of bacterial growth or decomposition of human breast milk components which are vital for growth and protection from infections in premature babies. The milk needs to be stored a few days before premature intestines are ready to tolerate breast milk.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nursery at the Flinders Medical Centre sees 600-800 premature babies per year and has 300 full term babies.
CARDIAC OUTPUT MACHINE - $10,500
Cardiac surgeons and anaesthetists have recognised the importance of being able to provide cardiac output monitoring in the management of patients, particularly trauma patients and high risk patients undergoing major cardiac surgery.
They have requested a minimally invasive cardiac output trend monitor which can be used on both conscious and unconscious patients. It will be highly useful for continuing the care of patients into the recovery phase after surgery, and also opening up opportunities for cardiac surgery research.
The monitor will allow better monitoring of directed fluid therapy which can be used to bring up a patients fluids after suffering fluid loss after things like bowel surgery, neck fractures which can be hard to manage fluid-wise, and also if an elderly patient has broken a hip and has been unable to move and therefore eat or drink for an extended period of time. This equipment will be used to monitor the patient’s cardiac response to fluid given to better determine how much fluid doctors must give their patients.
Surgical staff believe having this monitor could reduce complications associated with post-surgery monitoring and also reduce the hospital stay of major surgical patients by 2-3 days, or the stay of patients with fractured neck or femurs by up to 6 days.
RENAL DIALYSIS MACHINE - $30,000
When kidney failure occurs patients must go on dialysis to have their blood cleaned of toxins and excess fluids that build up due to damaged kidneys.
With machines working around the clock the machines must be upgraded and replaced regularly to ensure the unit can continue to provide vital treatment to the many patients requiring ongoing dialysis.
ICCU ECG MACHINES - $10,000 each
The ECG is the most commonly performed cardiac test in the Intensive Care Unit and is a useful screening tool for a variety of cardiac abnormalities. ECG machines are in constant use in the Flinders Medical Centre Intensive and Critical Care Unit and therefore require regular replacement.
RHINOMANOMETRY ANALYSER - $15,000
The FMC would like to be able to measure nasal resistance to enable better management of upper airway problems.
Upper airway problems are becoming an increasing burden on society. Allergic rhinitis, otherwise known as hayfever, and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) are two which affect a significant proportion of the population.
FMC Ears Nose and Throat and Allergy Units are seeking a Rhinomanometry analyser which can provide objective data on the severity of these conditions, disease progression, and monitoring of treatment success. It allows a precise assessment of nasal resistance which is important in the assessment of treatments for rhinitis and nasal surgical interventions in adults and children.
Likewise, a Rhinomanometry analyser would help with the treatment of OSA. The most successful treatment for OSA is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) while a sufferer is sleeping. However, CPAP treatment can result in nasal oedema and blockage which often requires additional treatment. A Rhinomanometry analyser would provide objective evidence of the severity of oedema and blockage and the success of treatment.
3 DIMENSIONAL PROBE - $20,905
The Cardiac Investigations Unit requires the purchase of a new 3 Dimensional Probe for one of their Echocardiography Machines. 3 dimensional imaging is the new frontier in cardiac ultrasound and allows Cardiac Investigators to obtain much more accurate assessment of left ventricular function than the previous 2 dimensional imaging techniques. This is essential when assessing all heart failure patients who need the most accurate assessment.
OPHTHALMIC PHOTOGRAPHY PACS SOFTWARE - $40,000
The Ophthalmology department is seeking software which would enable all ophthalmic images to be viewed with a special login on any PC, similar to the systems which are in use by the Medical Imaging department. This is would be a huge benefit to FMC staff in reducing patient waiting times for diagnosis
OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY MACHINE - $100,000
The Ophthalmology department has identified the need for an Optical Coherence Tomography Machine which can make a scan of a patient’s retina and optic nerve in a fraction of a second. The current system requires a patient to hold their eye open and still for two seconds, which some patients find very difficult. This upgraded system also has higher resolution imaging which will greatly assist doctors in making their diagnosis.
18 SOFA CHAIRS FOR THE COMFORT OF BREASTFEEDING WOMEN IN WARD 4C - $1,465 each
Labour and Delivery at Flinders are seeking 18 comfortable chairs for new mothers to sit on and breastfeed their babies.
The chairs they have identified will also fold into beds, allowing the new father to stay overnight and assist his partner in caring for their baby.
BARIATRIC BIRTHING BED FOR THE BIRTHING AND ASSESSMENT SUITE - $24,000
The Birthing and Assessment Suite at Flinders Medical Centre are seeking a comfortable bed that can hold expectant or new mothers above the weight of 210kg.
There is a new bed on the market that can comfortably hold a patient up to 250kg, the only of its kind that can hold up to that weight. It is fully self contained, meaning all the birthing requirements such as stirrups are built into it rather than having to be kept in a storage room. It can also be used by an expectant mother of any weight.
Staff in the unit would like to have one of these bariatric birthing beds onsite to ensure all mothers who present to the unit will be made as comfortable as possible.
INFRARED CAMERA TO ENABLE NEONATAL CLINICIANS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH INTO EARLY DETECTION OF INFECTIONS, BETTER MONITORING OF TEMPERATURES, AND THE PREVENTION OF DAMAGE TO THE SKIN OF TINY NEONATES - $70,000
Premature babies lack the body fat necessary to maintain their body temperature, even when swaddled with blankets, which is why incubators or radiant warmers are used to keep the babies warm. Currently, temperature sensors are stuck to the babies with an adhesive so clinicians can monitor their temperatures and ensure they are at optimal temperature for their growth. Removing these sensors can cause the fragile skin of a tiny baby to tear and can cause scarring.
The unit would like to purchase an ex-demo infrared camera to explore its ability to better detect early infection (which causes a slight temperature increase in certain locations which is not immediately picked up by any current method), conduct research into thermoregulation, and explore whether the camera can be used in a clinical setting to improve overall monitoring of temperatures without the need for sensors to be stuck to the baby's fragile skin.
This important research will not only have an immediate clinical benefit for the tiny babies treated at Flinders, but also it is envisioned that the publication of this research could influence clinical practice in other Neonatal Units.
VARIETY CHILDREN’S CENTRE DITTO CONSOLE FOR DIVERSIONARY THERAPY - $5,000
Diversionary therapy reduces anxiety related pain, specifically among children during traumatic medical procedures.
In the Ditto portable console the character Bobby is used to prepare children for standard procedures, people and medical instruments they are about to come into contact with during their visit to hospital. In “Bobby Gets his Cast Off” the child must help Bobby find medical items that relate to his treatment to help get his bandages changed
This device has been proven through clinical trials to reduce anxiety levels experienced by children.
SMALL ITEMS FOR PATIENT COMFORT IN PAEDIATRIC EMERGENCY - $2,000
Paediatric emergency patients who are distressed and in pain are often given medication through their noses. Although it is a painless procedure, it is very intimidating thing for a small child.
Emergency nurses have identified these single-use blowfish as a way of making the procedure less frightening. However they are beyond the budget of the emergency department. A $2,000 donation would provide a two-year supply of these “blowfish”.
2 X SPIROMETERS TO ASSESS THE BREATHING OF ASTHMATIC CHILDREN IN THE PAEDIATRIC WARD - $3,000 each
The Variety Children’s Centre would like to be able to purchase two Spirometers to assist doctors in measuring the breathing of the child. By displaying the child’s lung capacity and breathing power on a computer program, doctors will be able to better assess the effectiveness of medication for asthma.
PCR MACHINE FOR CANCER RESEARCH - $25,000
The FMC Foundation is seeking to be able to fit the LIVESTRONG Cancer Research Centre within the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer out with the very latest and best research equipment, to be able to continue and strengthen the groundbreaking work of our world-class cancer researchers.
It is important that we source funding for the most essential pieces of researchers equipment before the building is completed in 2011.
Flinders cancer researchers have identified that a PCR machine will be crucial in ensuring the laboratories function to the greatest possible capacity. A PCR machine is a basic but essential piece of equipment for looking at DNA and at genes. It will be particularly useful for cancer researchers in looking for genetic mutations that may be the cause of cancer developing.
ICCU ECG MACHINE - $10,000
The ECG is the most commonly performed cardiac test in the Intensive Care Unit. This is because the ECG is a useful screening tool for a variety of cardiac abnormalities. ECG can determine the heart rate; rhythm; whether ther are "conduction abnormalities"; whether there has been a prior heart attack; whether there may be coronary artery disease; whether the heart muscle has become abnormally thickened.
BISPECTRAL (BIS) MONITOR FOR ANAESTHESIOLOGY
BIS Monitors measure the level of consciousness from a patient's electrical brain activity during general anaesthesia and can measure the 'depth' of the anaesthesia. Having one of these monitors will help prevent surgical awareness.
STRYKER DIGITAL IMAGE CAPTURE SYSTEM FOR OPERATING THEATRES - $40,000
Stryker's Digital Capture System allows surgeons to capture surgical images for digital documentation and storage.
CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES SPARKS CHOIR - $7,000/YR
Sparks Choir was formed in August 2008 following the evidence which emerged of the value of a Choir for neglect/abused children. The children have the opportunity to learn songs and join in with the group to sing along, followed by afternoon tea. They also do performances.
BRONCHOSCOPE FOR THE NEONATAL UNIT - $18,630
Neontal Bronchoscopes have to be of a smaller diameter to easily accommodate into the smaller airways. The purchase of this equipment will enable doctors to look inside the airways of newborns at Flinders instead of transporting them to the WCH. Transporting sick babies can worsen their neurodevelopment outcomes, hence why avoiding transfers where necessary is very important. Many extremely premature babies need a ventilation tube in their trachea, which can result in inflammation of inner wall of the trachea. This may need surgical correction.
CLOWN DOCTORS FOR THE PAEDIATRIC CLINIC - $25,000 for 2 clowns for 2 days/month
Clown doctors are very skilled at approaching vulnerable patients and provide extra support to those who need it. They play an important role in destressing patients and families in outpatient clinics as well as the Paediatric Clinic.
NEONATAL UNIT BILLIRUBINOMETERS - $7,500ea (4 required)
Billirubinometers provide a non-invasive method of testing the level of jaundice in newborns. Jaundice is a yellowing of the baby's skin and eyes. Nurses need to monitor the level of billirubin so they can intervene before these levels become too high. Severe jaundice can occassionally lead to deafness and even brain damage if not treated promptly. Instead of obtaining a blood sample by prick, the billirubinometer is placed against the skin to obtain the reading which is more comfortable for the baby and less stressful for the parents.
HODU & WARD 5G EQUIPMENT NEEDS - $20,560
HODU and Ward 5G treat a wide range of cancers including solid organs like breast/lung/ovarian/brain and haematological malignancies like leukaemia's, from diagnosis to end of life. Essential equipment needs for these wards include:
Dynamap Blood Pressure Measuring Equipment (x2) - $6,360
These quickly and accurately measure the pulse, blood pressure and oxygen saturation of patients whom are seriously unwell as a result of the cancer treatment.
Pulse Oximeter (x2) - $3,000
To monitor patients with highly resistant bacterial infections - there is an increasing need to closely monitor patients whom have multi resistant organisms.
Sofa Beds (x8) - $11,200
The current beds need to be replaced and often patients who are very ill or terminally ill will benefit significantly by having a close relative stay in hospital with them.
EEG MACHINE FOR NEUROLOGY - $25,990
EEG is a vital investigation for patients presenting with seizures and blackouts at any age, as well as assisting in the diagnosis of other conditions. The current machine is in desperate need of replacement and if it were to breakdown, the assessment of many patients (1,000 per annum) would be significantly impeded.
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