Medical Breakthroughs: Baby Buggy

12:31 PM EST on Friday, November 12, 2004

Given a moment’s notice, a specialized air ambulance team moves into action. The mission: to save the life of a tiny baby.

“We have a vague idea of where the child is, but as far as how critical the child is, we won't know until we walk in the door,” says Lila Hettel, a respiratory therapist and Statcare team member.

With only a nurse, respiratory therapist, pilot and attending physician, the Statcare Just for Kids transport team of Kosair Children's Hospital prepares their latest trip to rescue a child in need.

Also Online

View this story

When getting your critically ill baby to the hospital is important, getting them there in time is critical.

On board with the team is their staple item, the newly renovated baby buggy, a self-contained mobile ICU that transports critically ill children to and from Kosair. It now holds up to three infants, and offers new features like heliox -- a winning combination that, along with the Statcare team, is saving lives.

“Just being there and knowing that that's available has got to help referring physicians because they know that all they have to do is pick up the phone and call, and Kosair Children's is going to be there to meet their needs,” says Statcare Team Manager Tony Hilbert.

“They have a better chance to actually be treated and live and get relative fast treatment right after birth instead of waiting 45 hours to drive to Kosair in an ambulance, so it's a little bit better turnaround and a better mortality rate,” says Hettel -- a critical care mission that both team members stay confident they'll come out successful.

“We know it's supposed to be an obstruction, we don't know where the obstruction is, whether it's airway obstruction, bowel obstruction, so we'll figure that out when we get there, says Lise Wetzel, RN.

“We're ready for anything and the support staff at the other hospitals are very good about keeping us up to date and doing all the basic care that needs to be taken care of before we can get there,” says Hettel.

The team at the waiting hospital has stabilized the baby and prepared him for the trip. And once everything's in check, its off and running to the Statcare aircraft.

“Baby's stable,” Hettel says. “We're taking him to Kosair because Kosair has a pediatric surgery service, whereas the outlying hospital doesn't have a surgeon in-house.”

And a safe ride to a new temporary home made possible by a state-of-the-art buggy and one very dedicated medical team. It's all the more reason this mom has to smile.

Web story produced by Jay Ditzer.