New sedation room and diagnostic equipment upgrades put kids first
Some improvements also benefit adult patients
Little ones are built for bouncing, not not staying still. That’s why our smallest patients may need either sedation or a general anesthetic for certain procedures. With deep sedation, patients become very sleepy, while with general anesthesia they’re fully unconscious.
Patients needing these procedures could include young cancer patients receiving a spinal tap, cardiac patients getting a heart ultrasound, or kids needing dressing changes for a wound.
“Deep sedation or general anesthetic may even be used for children getting a needle, if they’re experiencing a lot of anxiety and can’t stay still,” says Natalie Smigielski, clinical manager for interventional radiology at Hamilton Health Sciences’ (HHS) McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH).”
Mckenna and Dr. Peter Darby demonstrate equipment in the new, dedicated space for sedation procedures.
Until recently, the MCH team responsible for giving sedation worked out of different rooms in the hospital because they had no dedicated space of their own. But thanks to a historic investment in Ontario’s pediatric health care system from the provincial government, the team — which includes pediatric anesthesiologists, nurses and imaging technologists — now has a room especially for sedation that includes a new anesthesia delivery machine.
Heart ultrasounds are also done in this space, with a new heart ultrasound machine. Prior to getting a dedicated ultrasound machine, the pediatric cardiology team borrowed one from elsewhere in the hospital.
“From safety, quality and efficiency perspectives these are important improvements that have been really well received by our teams,” says Smigielski. “The work flow is much smoother, now that we’re not having to use makeshift spaces around the hospital, and borrow equipment from elsewhere in the building.”
The kids’ sedation room is part of a larger renovation project for MCH’s diagnostic imaging department, which so far has also included doubling the space for interventional radiology imaging procedures by expanding from one room to two.
Dr. John Donnellan, head of pediatric imaging and pediatric interventional radiology, and site chief, gives Mckenna a high five in the gastrointestinal (GI) suite, where aging imaging equipment was replaced.
Aging imaging equipment in the gastrointestinal (GI) suite was also replaced, says Eric Ricker, clinical manager for diagnostic imaging. The GI suite is where non-surgical procedures are performed to examine the digestive tract or urinary system. While the new sedation room is exclusively for kids, the interventional radiology and GI suites serve patients of all ages since MCH and the HHS McMaster University Medical Centre, where adults receive care, share the same building.
The addition of the sedation suite and upgrades to the interventional radiology and GI suites open the door for more patients to be seen, and wait lists to shorten. “The staff are excited to use these new spaces and equipment as we expand our services for the community,” says Ricker.
Child life specialists help kids feel less anxious, with toys like bubble makers.
Meanwhile, renovations to MCH’s ultrasound space are currently underway. The hospital is adding new equipment including two additional ultrasound machines, two new ultrasound beds and increased staffing to support the expansion of the pediatric ultrasound area.
Renovation costs are covered largely through a combination of provincial funding, and funding from the hospital’s managed equipment services contract, which is a partnership between HHS and Siemens Healthineers, the third-party provider managing the hospital’s medical equipment, including purchasing, installation, maintenance and replacement.
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