The Children’s Hospital at Westmead transformed into a fun circus today for their annual Radiothon. The Radiothon Appeal aims to raise $4 million dollars and we are extremely proud to have donated $96,000 towards their goal. This donation will directly go towards 6 new high-tech defibrillators to save children in life or death healthcare emergencies.
The Children’s Hospital at Westmead treats the sickest children throughout metropolitan Sydney, including Blacktown Council area, and all NSW. Last year 81,690 sick children were supported including 56,676 emergency presentations and 14,486 surgeries.
The care required to treat seriously ill and injured children in life-threatening emergency situations can be unpredictable but must be decisive and instantaneous. Every young patient may need access to a defibrillator, a sophisticated life-saving device used to bring someone back to life when their heart stops beating. These machines dramatically increase a person’s chance of survival in emergency care, from less than 5% to over 70%.
When a child needs defibrillator support, they are on the brink of death. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence at the Hospital. Defibrillators are used at least once a week in emergency and intensive care, surgical theatres and recovery, and other key clinical and critical care areas including cancer, cardiac and long-term ventilation wards.
The Hospital’s current fleet of 23 defibrillators is out-dated. Four have completely broken down with the remainder having a limited lifespan. The cost of repairing them isn’t economical compared to replacing them with new, improved technology.
Children usually stop breathing before their heart stops, unlike adults. The devices required for optimum recovery/response are unlike standard defibrillators located elsewhere in the community. They are specially designed to support doctors and nurses to give critically ill children the best chance of survival.
In response to the hospital’s need to upgrade their defibrillator equipment, Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL Club has donated $96,000 to directly fund:
- 3 x High Acuity defibrillators @ $19,350 each – $58,050 (one for each of the Camperdown Ward, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and Edgar Stephans Ward), plus
- 3 x Essential defibrillators @ $12,850 each – $38,550 (one for each of the Grace Centre for Newborn Intensive Care, Operating Theatre and Middelton Recovery Ward).
These defibrillators will make a big difference to saving precious young lives in a heartbeat.