Circle of Life Members Fund the Purchase of Two New Ventilators
December 2022 Circle of Life Insider Update
This fall, dozens of Circle of Life members made an extra donation above and beyond their annual gift to help support the patient equipment needs of Guelph General Hospital. A total of $45,000 in additional gifts has been received so far, and these funds will go towards the purchase of a new transport ventilator for the Bob Ireland Family Intensive Care Unit and a new ventilator for the MRI suite in our Diagnostic Imaging Unit to support the Hospital’s most critically ill patients.
Directors have been notified they can proceed with ordering these new pieces of equipment and share the exciting news with their teams. Dawn Snedden, Interim Charge Respiratory Therapist at Guelph General Hospital looks forward to putting these new machines to use.
Dawn says, “I would like to thank The Foundation and the Circle of Life group for making these items possible! Respiratory Therapists will use the transport ventilator to take intubated patients on life support to any internal tests, such as CT and Nuclear Medicine scans. The MRI ventilator will be used specifically in the MRI suite to support critically ill patients.”
These two ventilators are ‘smart’ machines that offer optimal airway support for patients and are the most effective way to ensure proper breathing during transport or diagnostic scans. These ventilators are easy to maneuver and better remain in place on the patient, improving the experience for both patients and their caregivers.
Dawn elaborates on the impact of a new transport ventilator saying, “With a long-acting battery, we will no longer have to manually ventilate patients in transit. The extended battery life will allow us to do longer transports to other hospitals, as well. It is best practice to keep patients on the ventilator during transport to prevent any damage to the lungs and increase the patient’s comfort. It is also less strenuous physically for the Respiratory Therapist. This decreases the chances of injury to their backs and shoulders from having to manually ventilate patients while in extremely awkward positions. Keeping patients on consistent ventilation also improves outcomes and usually helps us liberate patients from the ventilators quicker. A new transport ventilator will be a huge asset to GGH”.
Circle of Life members have funded many ventilators over the years. All have been critical throughout the pandemic to support patients with severe COVID-19 infections and others who needed breathing support. Dr. Dean Raso is pictured below with one of eight ventilators funded in early 2020— right before they were needed the most.
Donors are an essential part of our Hospital’s healthcare team, they give our caregivers the tools they need to heal, comfort, and care for patients. Thank you to Circle of Life members for making these important patient care equipment items possible at Guelph General Hospital.
