Funding equipment for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Anesthesia Department

The Anesthesia Department is urgently in need of a difficult airway cart (DAW), which allows patients to be intubated in emergency situations during surgery.

Important Equipment Need: Difficult Airway Cart (DAW)

These carts contain specialized intubation equipment to assist the physician in emergency situations whereby the patient may have an anomaly in the trachea, making it difficult to pass the breathing tube.

The anesthesiologist will use it in the operating room, if such a situation were to arise. As a result of prematurity or anomalies of the airway, many infants and children require specialized intubation scopes and intubation equipment to introduce a breathing tube – the lifeline of the patient – prior to anesthesia.

DAWs are currently being used in the ENT and O.R.s with much success. However, with the increasing number of ENT (ear, nose & throat) surgeons, it’s becoming more urgent for the Hospital to add to its fleet and better serve the needs of its patients.

The DAW would help children ranging in age from newborn to 18.

Budget

The Montreal Children’s Hospital has asked K4K to commit for the multi-year funding (2 years) of the Difficult Airway Cart. The total cost of the equipment is $300,000.

Funding services for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic

A Level 1 Trauma Centre, the Children’s is recognized provincially for its expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of concussions in children and adolescents.

Important Service Need: The addition of one full time (FTE) physiotherapist

The Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) Program with its Concussion Clinic is a tertiary care ambulatory program that is in keeping with this designation.

From April 1, 2017 April 1, 2018, 4497 patient clinic visits were registered in the MTBI Program/Concussion Clinic. The Clinic operates 240 days/year, with patients requiring anywhere from 3 to 10 follow up visits following their diagnoses, depending on the severity of their injury.

The current complement of two (2) physiotherapists, who are integral members of the MTBI team, is no longer sufficient to keep up with the increasing volume of patients. The resulting wait times are having a negative impact on the team’s ability to intervene early, which is the greatest contributing factor to a positive outcome.

The addition of one full time (FTE) physiotherapist would have an immediate and dramatic effect on the number of patients being treated and the quality of care. Among other things, the physiotherapist plays a key role in clearing patients for return to sports and other recreational activities.

This is an urgent request to ensure that our tertiary care Concussion Clinic is run in a timely manner. Our ability to take patients during the acute phase reduces return visits to the ER and hospitalizations. Timely management and close follow up by the physiotherapist ensures a more positive outcome and reduces secondary complications.

Moreover, this individual will devote a portion of their time to education, developing models for treatment that will be shared across Quebec and Canada, thereby benefiting tens of thousands of other young concussion patients.

Budget

$300,000 for the addition of one full time (FTE) physiotherapist for 3 years.