Neonatal Resuscitation. Ivano-Frankivsk

Every day in Ukraine, babies are born who are not yet ready for this world. Babies who sometimes weigh less than 1,500 grams. They cannot breathe on their own, retain body heat, or fight for their lives. All they have are doctors, the warmth of human hands, and the equipment that supports them through their first and most difficult days. And body temperature for such infants is not just a number. If it is not maintained at a level close to the intrauterine one, their organs begin to shut down. Without warmth, the baby stops. Literally.

To save the lives of prematurely born children, we are launching a fundraiser for a Lifetherm 2002 Loewenstein Medical (Germany) resuscitation system for the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Perinatal Center.* This is a medical facility in the rear that, since the first days of the war, has become a refuge for hundreds of displaced pregnant women. Over the past two years, the number of patients has nearly tripled. Children are being born here from Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson regions – children who enter the world amidst alarms, losses, and new beginnings. And the presence of resuscitation systems is not a convenience – it is a tool for survival.

To give every newborn a chance, the hospital critically needs an open resuscitation system Lifetherm 2002, which provides:

• Radiant heat with servo control, which “senses” the baby’s condition and automatically maintains the ideal temperature;

• Heated work surface where neonatologists provide care;

• A gel anti-bedsore mattress to protect the baby’s delicate skin;

• The ability to adjust the surface angle – to raise the baby’s head or legs. This is important when the baby has breathing difficulties or unstable blood pressure: the right position helps them breathe more easily, improves circulation, and stabilizes their condition.

In many hospitals, including the Ivano-Frankivsk Perinatal Center, there are not enough resuscitation systems. The ones they do have are outdated, functioning at the edge of their lifespan, or already out of order. There aren’t enough for all the babies born prematurely or those who need urgent care. Doctors are forced to rotate the equipment between patients, deciding who gets placed under the heat source, and who gets warmed manually with blankets. This is not a choice a neonatologist should ever have to make. And it is certainly not the way life should begin.

Without a sufficient number of modern resuscitation systems, it is impossible to provide quality care for all who need it. And in wartime conditions, when birth rates among displaced women are rising and the risk of premature birth is increasing, this problem has become even more urgent.

We are raising almost one million hryvnias to purchase this modern, high-tech resuscitation system – and we are sincerely hoping for your support.

This is equipment that can change a life. And babies who will be born next week – maybe even tomorrow – are already waiting for it.

If you’ve been looking for a way to do something truly important – this is it.

*Full name of the hospital: Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise "Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Perinatal Center of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council".