Phoenix Medical Systems

A neonatal incubator is a closed medical equipment with regulated temperatures and infant friendly environment. The temperatures are regulated usually between 35.5 ^o c and 36.6 ^o c. It helps a newborn to adjust to the normal parameters of the environment such as air, temperature, humidity, etc. The main purpose of it is to take care of those premature babies or other ill affected or disabled ones. It is usually made available in the pediatric hospitals and neonatal intensive care units.

Where It All Began…

The story of Babies’ first medical cradle began in 1903; when Dr. Martin A. Couney, a physician and pioneer in Neonatology worked hard to save his premature daughter by inventing incubator for helping her survive. He wanted to save many more lives who were suffering just like her daughter. Unfortunately, his first attempt was not financed by any banks. But that didn’t discourage him. He took his plan forward by exhibiting his invention before public and made them aware about the importance and functions of incubators. He made sure that the treatment for his pediatric patients was free of cost and none of them died. The exhibition was a massive hit in his career with a daily walk in about 3600 visitors and this lead to the acceptance of the concept “incubators”  and hospitals were in great demand for the same.

What Does It Do?

Favourable conditions for living-

The most conspicuous property of an incubator is to provide favourable conditions of living for the infants during the first few days after their birth. As it is noise proof, it allows the infants to get plenty amount of rest and relaxation. The design of incubators is such a way that it protects the infants from the common flu and related symptoms. The enclosure makes sure that the infants are kept out of all pollutants and allergens etc.

Facilitates oxygenation

Incubators facilitate Oxygenations which facilitate breathing. It is beneficial for treatment for infant respiratory distress syndrome, which is identified as the major cause of death in infants. Following are the oxygenation techniques:

1. Using nasal cannula- A tube placed right in front of the nostrils that aids in supplying oxygen directly into the nostrils.
2. Using a plastic hood – it’s placed over the infant’s head, which creates an oxygen supplying environment.
3. Using continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP- Its a type of respiratory device (a small mask or nasal prong) that fits in the infant’s nose. It is mainly for the treatment of premature infants

Monitors Health condition-

The health condition of the infant is monitored using the following instruments inbuilt in the incubator such as:

1. Cardiac monitors
2. Brain-scan equipment
3. Blood-monitoring equipment
4. Thermometers and other instruments

(For observing vital signs)

Body temperature and heart rates of the infants can be accurately measured inside the incubators as it has a closed and a sound proof environment.

Things to Make Sure…

1. The incubator should be sterile, protecting infants from germs and minimizing the risk of infection.
2. The monitoring instruments inside the incubator should be thoroughly checked for its proper functioning before the baby is placed in it.
3. The oxygenation devices should be sterile and should perform the exact function in order to prevent infections and lack of oxygen supply.
4. Humidity is maintained at 50 to 60 percent. It could be raised high as 85 to 100 percent, depending upon the medical conditions of the newborn.

 A newborn looks gorgeous and a little yellow!?  Why yellow?

Yellowing of eyes and skin are common symptoms of jaundice. Jaundice is a condition in which there is an excess of a pigment called bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a natural by-product of red blood cells breaking down. It is processed by the liver and discarded through the stools. A mild level of jaundice is normal in a newborn and usually passes when there is a well-functioning liver. But the liver of a premature baby is not sufficiently developed. So bilirubin starts building up in the blood stream of the premature infant. If left untreated, the jaundice can cause brain death, also called kernicterus, or interfere with the development of the brain, leading to cerebral palsy.

The treatment for jaundice was discovered in 1956. Sister Jean Ward, from the Premature Unit of Rochford General Hospital, in England, believed sunshine and fresh air had restorative properties for babies. She would wheel the babies in her care out on warm summer days. Once Dr. R.H. Dobbs noticed that the uncovered area of a baby was less yellow than the covered area. He questioned Sister Ward about this, and she reluctantly admitted to taking the baby out in the sun. She suggested that the exposure to the sun was the reason for the baby’s colour. Around the same time, the biochemist of the hospital had left a few samples of blood on the windowsill and measured the bilirubin level in them a little later. The level had dropped.

Thus it was found that light affected bilirubin. After intense research, the paediatricians of Rochford General Hospital published their findings in the Lancet in 1958. And the treatment for jaundice, ‘phototherapy’, was discovered. Light became an effective agent in the treatment, reducing the number of exchange transfusions drastically. Eventually, with the growth of technology, light bulbs and fluorescent tubes were used. Today LEDs producing light in the blue spectrum have been found to be the most effective treatment for jaundice.

D-rev has partnered with Phoenix Medical Systems to eliminate the effects of jaundice worldwide by 2022. D-rev is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to design and deliver quality medical equipment at an affordable cost. D-Rev identified Phoenix to be on the same page with them in terms of their mission. D-Rev partnered with Phoenix to manufacture and market the Brilliance Pro phototherapy unit globally. At the time this is being written, 415,900 babies have been treated using Brilliance Pro.

To understand how Phoenix and D-Rev are working on achieving their goal, visit

http://d-rev.org/projects/newborn-health/

The minute after the birth of a newborn is a period of anxiety for parents and health providers, as the newborn undergoes rapid and significant physiological changes to adjust to the environment outside the mother’s womb.

It is a fact that every year around 38% of all the babies born are asphyxiated at birth. How does this happen?

Until an infant starts breathing air, he or she depends on the placenta and umbilical cord for oxygen. At birth, the baby’s lungs are filled with fluids. And they are not inflated. After delivery, the baby takes the first breath. In practice this sounds like a gasp. Normal breathing is usually established right away. Once the baby starts breathing, the fluid drains away from the respiratory system.

Unfortunately, not all infants can start breathing air on their own. The normal transition from placenta and cord to lungs can be interrupted, and often it is. If this happens for 50–70 seconds, a hypoxic stage (no-breathing condition) is reached. Considering this, it may be argued that the most stressful period for the infant.

Fortunately, infants can be revived through resuscitation, a process in which the baby’s normal lung functioning is established thorough artificial breaths. Effective performance of resuscitation has reduced the infant mortality rate the world over. Resuscitation, a basic procedure, has saved millions of babies.

Life-saving resuscitation

A baby may get asphyxiated due to reasons such as clogging of the lungs with amniotic fluid, which blocks the passage of air in the lungs. A standard resuscitation protocol is in place for clinicians to ensure the safety of infants. The life of the newborn is supported by a few simple resuscitation steps. The entire sequence of steps is carried out very quickly.

Apart from being small, a newborn baby, particularly a prematurely born baby (a ‘preemie’) is wet. The first step according to the resuscitation protocol is to provide warmth to baby. Wipe the baby dry and wrap him in a dry cloth. Then the fluid in the lungs is removed by suction. Once the airway is cleared of fluid, resuscitation is carried out. The lungs are mechanically aerated in a process known as breaths. A blend of oxygen and air is supplied to the baby through a bag-and-mask unit in this process. This opens up the tiny air sacs of the lungs, known as alveoli, which are essential for gas exchange. The whole process occurs in few minutes from the birth.

Low cost – Innovation in India

India is an ideal place for innovation, with 70% of the population being rural and 30% urban, with many strata of society. Any innovation needs to provide a solution for the majority. Developing country faces a number of issues such as a lack of skilled trainers and the facilities being minimal. While designing products, its important medical equipment provides solutions that address these issues.

Simple, easy to use, low cost and effective equipment addresses for affordable care with minimal training.

Explore the Phoenix website to learn about a range of resuscitation products, including Neobreathe, the world’s first foot-operated resuscitation system and the infant resuscitator, and other neonatal and maternal products.

https://www.phoenixmedicalsystems.com/infant-care/respiratory/

Life is uncertain. Like a wave in the ocean what goes up goes down and the pattern continues. So what defines our way of life? Most of us would have experienced few life changing experiences which defines our principals in life. Selvaraj Bovas and Edgar Paul Jones who were childhood friends once saw an old man on the streets, a very common sight in India. Instead of only sympathising like most of us they chose to act. They took him home, cleaned and provided him with food but could not save him. They later realised he had dementia and had lost his way. His family had been looking out for him only to find out he is no more. Several incidents of old and ailing people dumped and abused by their own children shook them and led to the start of ‘Little drops – An old age home for the destitute’. Our team had the opportunity to visit this home.

Old people and children are alike.  It’s very rightly said that the most terrible poverty is loneliness. They just wanted company, love and affection. They got attached to us in a very short span of time. Some had gruesome stories to share with tears in their eyes while some remained calm with a smile.

Thanks to our company as a part of our CSR we had donated beds to them. Our employees who were involved in the manufacturing of these beds were moved seeing the result of the time they had taken to make these beds especially for them.

When we stepped out of the home we only had one question, our parents shaped us to what we are today and we in turn can’t do our part in their final stage of life? Has inhumaneness creeped into us shutting our conscious and feelings?

If any of you out there would like to help these bunch of lovely people in the home, do visit their website.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love” – MotherTeresa

Timely customer service is the essence of customer satisfaction. Happy customers continue to be vital in the growth of Phoenix. We decided to enhance our customer experience with a Mobile App dedicated to simplifying the process of a service call.Once after installing the Phoenix App you can get started with a simple registration process of basic details. To speak to one of our customer service executives you can simply click on the ‘Free Call Back’. You will receive a call back from one of our executives instantly to help serve your query. Alternatively click on ‘Log service complaint’ and follow a twostep process to register your issue. An engineer will be assigned to resolve your issue as soon as possible. You can check the status of your complaint through the app. For any other product related enquiries you can click on ‘Request enquiry’ and submit your query. Your query will be attended to in 24 hours. The shop online feature will enable you to shop anywhere, anytime for your NICU.

Our App is available for Android users on Google Play Store.  

Watch a video on how to use our app