BIG STEPS Campaign Investment - BIG STEPS in Equipment & Technology
From the emergency department to operating rooms to a patient’s bedside, from diagnostic imaging to patient monitoring and information systems – technology and equipment are vital. Through the BIG STEPS Campaign, we intend to invest $10 million to add, upgrade and integrate new devices and systems that will greatly enhance our ability to provide optimal care for kids right here in our community.
Read more about targeted areas for Equipment and Technology investment
Emergency Critical Care
Diagnostic Imaging
Surgical Equipment
Information Technology
Dr. Baxter Willis
Chief of Surgery, CHEO
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Emergency Critical Care
Three new pieces of advanced equipment will enable CHEO to care for the most vulnerable among us – critically ill children.
• Infant Care Centres
These state-of-the-art open beds maintain a stable environment and protect premature babies from changes of temperature and in risky transportation situations. X-rays, minor surgeries and procedures can even be performed on the beds, reducing the need to move the patient.
• Neonatal Incubators
Providing a womb-like environment, these units are central to the care of tiny, fragile, premature babies, some of whom are only in their 28th week of gestation when born.
• Heart Defibrillators
Heart defibrillators help restore the natural rhythm of the heart after cardiac arrest or severe heart fibulation. A new fleet of defibrillators will standardize this lifesaving equipment hospital-wide.
Diagnostic Imaging
The BIG STEPS Campaign will provide CHEO resources to invest in three key technologies that enhance the speed and accuracy of diagnosing patients and delivering care.
• Interventional Radiology
This technology shows doctors what’s happening inside a young patient, often avoiding the need for surgery to deal with a problem.
• Computer Radiology System
Similar to an X-ray, but requiring no film and providing a digital image that can be viewed immediately, stored, shared and archived.
• MRI Upgrades
Adding the latest in peripheral hardware and software components to ensure CHEO’s state-of-the-art MRI technology continues to take fast and full advantage of the newest advances.
Surgical Equipment
Investing in new operating room technologies and equipment will enable CHEO doctors to utilize the latest surgical procedures and improve outcomes.
• Operating Room CO2 Surgical Lasers
This technology will allow CHEO surgeons to operate on young patients, remove tumours and coagulate blood vessels without the use of a scalpel.
• Cochlear Implants
These tiny electronic devices provide a sense of sound to children who are deaf or extremely hard of hearing. Sustained BIG STEPS Campaign support will enable CHEO to more fully meet the demand for these implants amongst children in our community.
• VEPTR
The latest advance in treating children with congenital scoliosis, these titanium prosthetics allow for normal spinal growth and a higher quality of life.
• Repiphysis
Custom-made implants for children with malignant bone tumours in their legs, these prosthetics help avoid limb amputations and actually expand to grow with the child.
Information Technology
Information technology impacts lives everywhere, every second of the day. At CHEO, it’s integral to patient care and efficient operations. The BIG STEPS Campaign will enable CHEO to invest in a wide range of advanced, care-critical tools.
• Electronic Health Records
Instant access to a child’s health records for caregivers at CHEO, family doctors, and doctors at local community hospitals.
• Computerized Patient Monitoring
Wireless technology that provides continuous monitoring of a child’s condition and alerts staff to changes.
• Enhanced Alerts
Provide context about a patient’s changed conditions and provide information to critical response teams before they arrive on the scene.
• Electronic Physician
Dictation speeds availability and accuracy of physician notes on a patient’s condition.
• Automatic Dispensing Units
Barcode based technology that reduces drug error and waste.
