Breath and warmth of life

Premature babies come into the world earlier than their little bodies are ready for independent struggle. The greatest challenge for them is thermoregulation. Babies are unable to retain their own warmth, quickly cool down, and use up all their strength just to survive.

For such tiny patients, even a difference of a few degrees can be decisive. That is why for them warmth is not comfort, but medicine.

That is why in the Department of Post-Intensive Care of Newborns of the Odesa Regional Clinical Hospital* special heated mattresses are critically needed. They create a safe environment for infants, help to avoid hypothermia, and allow them to direct all their strength not to fighting the cold, but to growth, development, and… their first smile.

But warmth is only the first step. Equally vital is to monitor the breathing and oxygen level in the blood of such children. That is why we have another need – to purchase 2 modern pulse oximeters Rad-97 (Masimo, USA).

These devices measure the level of oxygen saturation in the blood and heart rate in real time. For premature babies, these are key indicators on which timely doctors’ response depends. Rad-97 allows to:

• instantly detect a drop in blood oxygen level,

• prevent respiratory failure,

• reduce the risk of damage to the brain, heart, or other organs,

• save lives even in the most critical conditions.

"Every day we see how our smallest patients fight for life. For them, warmth and breathing control are the first steps to recovery. Each heated mattress and each pulse oximeter becomes a little miracle that helps us nurture babies born prematurely", says the head of the department, Tetiana Shporuk.

We appeal to you with a request to help purchase heated mattresses and Rad-97 pulse oximeters. This equipment will become a gift of life for the smallest Odesa residents who are just beginning their journey.

Each contribution is one more saved little heart, one more child’s breath, one more baby who will be able to grow up and see the world.

*Full name of the hospital: Municipal non-profit enterprise "Odessa Regional Clinical Hospital" of the Odessa Regional Council.