Oxygen therapy in Hódmezővásárhely
As in the past six years, the Robert Burns International Foundation made a significant donation to the Infant and Children’s Department of the Hódmezővásárhely-Mako Health Care Centre in 2024. Together with the 1.2 million HUF donated this year, the total amount of donations so far exceeds 7 million HUF. This year’s project was again achieved with the help of Inter Relocation.
According to Dr. Ferenc Papp, head physician at the department:
We believe we have used the funds carefully and in the most useful way possible, and that each year we have acquired diagnostic and/or therapeutic medical equipment that has contributed significantly to improving the quality and safety of neonatal, infant and paediatric care at our department. One important criterion in selecting the equipment was to use it to treat as many children as possible, so this year we purchased an oxygen therapy device.
The AIRVO2 device is designed to deliver high flow nasal cannula therapy (HFNC). This non-invasive ventilation method delivers a high flow of heated and humidified oxygen-air mixture into the patient’s nose through a special nasal device to facilitate breathing and ensure adequate oxygenation. It has many advantages over conventional oxygen therapy and often avoids the need for intubation and invasive ventilation. The high flow rate improves the effectiveness of oxygen therapy, the warming and humidification help to clear the airways and reduce the risk of nasal mucosal damage. HFNC treatment can be used in children of any age, including newborns, with the right size nasal device. The treatment is gentler, more comfortable and better tolerated by children compared to other airway therapies.Thanks to the device donated by the RBIF the children’s department can add this valuable test to its diagnostic portfolio. So far, patients have had to travel miles away to Szeged for appointments. With the new device, the test can be performed in Hódmezővásárhely, almost immediately, helping to detect cystic fibrosis early and thus contributing to improving the quality of life of the patients concerned. A negative test result, on the other hand, can eliminate fears and anxiety in parents, which is no less important. The sweat analyser will be used in the brand-new children’s department at the hospital in Hódmezővásárhely, which was officially opened in April 2023.
The concentration of inhaled oxygen can be easily varied and read on the display, which also shows the set temperature and flow rate values. Operating the device is relatively simple and quick to learn, with a dedicated child mode. Its compact size makes it easy to carry or to place on a rolling stand for mobility. The nose device is made of soft silicone, with a material and design that ensures comfort of use and a stable fixation.
HFNC treatment is mainly used in children, especially infants, who develop mild to moderate respiratory distress due to bronchitis (acute bronchitis or bronchiolitis), chiefly caused by a viral infection. The most common causative agent is the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can affect many infants in epidemic form from autumn to spring, and many of whom may develop respiratory failure requiring hospitalisation. Formerly premature infants are particularly at risk of severe infection. During an epidemic, several RSV-infected infants may require HFNC treatment in the department each week, which is why it was particularly important to purchase an additional unit to the one already in place. This will allow two children to be treated at the same time.
With the equipment we have purchased, we can provide HFNC treatment for infants and newborns or even older children in the above-mentioned pathologies in our department, thus avoiding the need to transfer these patients to another institution. Our department has once again acquired a valuable and useful device that will be of therapeutic assistance to many patients, for which we are grateful to the Robert Burns International Foundation and its supporters.
