A unique lung ventilator can even help babies weighing just half a kilogram. It will be used at the U Apolináře maternity hospital.
TN.cz — 25 Aug 2023
A miracle device at U Apolináře: A lung ventilator helps babies weighing just half a kilogram breathe
Blesk — 26 Aug 2023
A new lung ventilator unveiled at the U Apolináře maternity hospital. It helps newborns weighing as little as half a kilogram breathe
Zdravotnický deník — 26 Aug 2023
New NAVA ventilator helps premature babies breathe
Charles University — 26 Aug 2023
PRESS RELEASE
Praha, 25. 8. 2023
Breathing Support Tailored to Each Baby! A New Ventilator at the U Apolináře Maternity Hospital Helps Babies Weighing as Little as 500 Grams Breathe.
A key aspect of caring for premature babies is ensuring adequate respiratory support and oxygenation of the entire body. Mechanical ventilation has been used in neonatology for around 40 years. However, conventional ventilators cannot respond to the rapidly changing condition of a premature baby’s delicate lungs. This can sometimes lead to situations where inadequate ventilation causes lung damage.
The unique NAVA (Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist) ventilator provides newborns with individualised respiratory support and can adapt rapidly to their needs and current condition. This is made possible by a special sensor which, when inserted into the baby’s oesophagus, sensitively detects spontaneous breathing activity and allows the ventilator to respond quickly when difficulties arise. As a result, mechanical ventilation is more effective and precise, with a lower risk of complications.
A long-term loan of the device, worth CZK 1.5 million, was arranged by the Vita et Futura Foundation thanks to financial support from the Be Charity Foundation, Barbora Nesvadbová and Pavlína Saudková. The new ventilator will be used by the Department of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Neonatology at the General University Hospital in Prague and the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, in its neonatal intensive care unit. It will facilitate the care of extremely premature newborns with birth weights starting at 500 grams. During the five-year loan period, the device will also support important research focused on monitoring, measuring and evaluating the respiratory activity of the newborn diaphragm.
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