At a time when intensive care units across the province are anticipating an increase in patients due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the critical care team at Covenant Health’s Misericordia Community Hospital is welcoming the addition of a new lifesaving machine.
Patients who depend on dialysis now have easier and quicker access to the lifesaving equipment. A $40,000 gift made possible through donations to Covenant Foundation has been used to purchase the new machine for dialysis treatment in the intensive care unit.
"There is a higher chance that we will be seeing sicker patients and a machine like this definitely benefits our sickest population,” says Adam Moon, program manager in the critical care unit. “It is a really valuable tool.”
Moon explains the machine can provide continuous renal replacement therapy, which is similar to traditional dialysis, on patients experiencing a range of life-threatening conditions linked to kidney failure. It provides a low-flow gentle dialysis that can be used to remove excess fluid or toxins from the blood; as well as treat infection.
On top of its benefit to critical care patients, the machine is another example of innovative technology that can help achieve cost savings in health-care delivery.
That’s because now that the team has access to an additional machine, there are fewer filter changes required, reducing the cost of supplies. It is precisely automated and accurate-, decreasing the number of disruptive ringing alarms and interruptions to treatment while meeting precise fluid removal goals.
When the machine arrived, the team was thrilled to begin training on it and gain the additional skills necessary to provide greater supports and resources to the sickest of patients who come through the doors at the Misericordia.
Moon adds that the design of the equipment also provides a healthier working environment for frontline staff.
“It is designed in a way that is more ergonomic for the nurses,” Moon adds. “There is less chance of injury in changing the bags associated with it because they are quite heavy. So it's better designed in that regard, less chance for leaks and slipping hazards."
"A huge thank you to the Foundation because this is a very generous donation and we're grateful to have the machine in our possession.
“I don't think I can express enough how grateful we are for it."
If you are interested in helping bring new state-of-the-art equipment to Covenant facilities, please click here to make your gift today.
Written by: Laura Ehrkamp