You Are Vital Pediatrics: Equipment

The NICU and PICU units at VGH require 40 new pieces of patient monitoring equipment. Every single patient requires vital signs monitoring equipment for diagnosis and treatment and the monitors provide critically important information for our caregivers.

Patient Monitoring Systems for the NICU and PICU at Victoria General Hospital
Significant upgrades are needed for the Patient Monitoring System for Victoria General Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The system upgrade will transform bedside care, allowing greater integration for improved transmission of vital, possibly life-saving information to clinicians, who can be alerted to a patient’s condition throughout the unit. Improved reliability and virtualisation are additional benefits of the upgrade.
The equipment has capabilities that alert our caregivers of any changes or trends in a patient’s symptoms so that they may intervene more quickly. It enables immediate, informed action by caregivers. Much like any technology, hospital equipment changes quickly.

Ensuring our caregivers have tools of the highest quality means our Vancouver Island patients can continue to receive excellent care.

Our most critically ill patients will benefit from improved monitoring equipment and an integrated communication system.
Clinicians at our hospitals need the best possible equipment in order to provide the highest standard of care for the tens of
thousands of patients who have need of these hospitals every year.

Click below to learn about the equipment and donate.

Of the thousands of babies born annually at Victoria General Hospital, one in six spends time in the NICU. These include premature
infants and those experiencing complications from cardiac, respiratory, ophthalmological, or auditory issues. With the help of
neonatal equipment, our teams perform life-saving work every day.

The following pieces of equipment have been identified by Island Health Executive as our highest priority needs:

Central Monitors for the NICU (3 x $90,000 = $270,000)
The NICU requires central monitors and an upgrade of hardware and software systems that connect to monitors and information
systems around the hospital. The system is an essential communication tool which benefits our most critically ill patients. The
information centre is a central monitoring system that gives a centralized, consolidated view of each patient’s current status and
connects directly to their electronic health record.

Bedside Monitors for the NICU (29 x $40,000 = $1,160,000)
The NICU requires new beside monitors. Bedside monitors provide primary patient monitoring as well as display of releant clinical
information. Caregivers can view the patient’s vital signs and current status wirelessly through handheld device applications as well
as at the central monitoring station. The NICU treats our most vulnerable patients in life-threatening situations and having the most
up-to-date monitoring aids caregivers in giving them the best care possible.

Annually, the PICU provides intensive care for about 250 children, 17 years of age and younger. It is one of two pediatric intensive care
units in the province. These children may be experiencing severe cardiac or respiratory complications, infections or trauma. With
one-to-one monitoring, these children are receiving the highest level of care possible.

The following pieces of equipment have been identified by Island Health Executive as our highest priority needs:

Patient Monitors for the PICU (7 x $40,000 = $280,000)
The PICU requires new patient monitors. These monitors provide a consolidated view of every patient’s current status. Pediatric
caregivers can make immediate and informed diagnostic and treatment decision with the information provided by these monitors.
The technology, plus the expertise of our caregivers, allows for the right decisions, in the right moment, for the best outcome.

Central Monitors for the PICU (1 x $90,000 = $90,000)
The PICU requires central monitors and an upgrade of hardware and software systems that connect to monitors and information
systems around the hospital. The system is an essential communication tool which benefits our most critically ill patients. The
information centre is a central monitoring system that gives a centralized, consolidated view of each patient’s current status and
connects directly to their electronic health record.