The Rotunda Hospital NICU Heart Ultrasound Machine

The Rotunda Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) takes care of one of the most vulnerable patient populations in Ireland. It is the busiest maternity hospital in the country. Every year over 1200 babies require highly specialised care in our unit. Some of those babies can be a small as 400 grams and born extremely prematurely. Their care can be very complex and we rely on vital information from our monitoring equipment to guide their care, improve their clinical course and maximise outcome.

One vital piece of equipment is a heart ultrasound machine (an Echocardiography Machine). We use this heart ultrasound machine on a daily basis not only to assess heart structure but also give us important information on heart function. Our babies’ tiny hearts are often challenged by many of the issues associated with prematurity or illness. Using this machine, we can look at how the heart is working, use it to decide which medication best suits the situation and monitor response to treatment. We carry out approximately 750 scans every year as this information is vital and individual to every baby and clinical situation.

We are seeking your help as our clinical Echocardiography machine has reached the end of its life and the information it can give us is very limited. As government funding is not available for a replacement echocardiography machine, we need help from the public to raise essential funds to purchase a new machine so that we can continue to provide the best possible care for all our babies. Thank you so much for considering a donation. Every single contribution will help progress care for our babies.