Posted: 11/15/06
SCRMC purchases infant jaundice test equipment
 Pictured (l to r): Kathy Johnson, R.N., Director of Obstetrics, Steve Snell, UFE and United Way of Polk County, Karen Sciacca, St. Croix Falls Lions, Mickey Andrewson, SCRMC Obstetrics aide, Kerry Swenson, R.N., SCRMC Obstetrics, Grace Bjorklund, St. Croix Falls Lionesses, and Jodi Gilbert, Dresser city offices. |
Many newborns become jaundiced shortly after being released from the hospital.
In the past, a bilirubin check on newborns to test for jaundice required that blood be taken from the infant for a lab test. A new BiliCheck monitor, by Respironics, has been purchased by St. Croix Regional Medical Center with funds from United Way of Polk County, the St. Croix Falls Lionesses, and the St. Croix Falls Lions Club. This monitor will allow SCRMC to test every newborn before they go home by using a non-invasive scan. The text can be done transdermally (through the skin) and does not require that blood be drawn.
A common condition in newborns, jaundice refers to the yellow color of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by excess bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is produced by the normal breakdown of red blood cells, and normally it passes through the liver and is excreted as bile through the intestines. Jaundice occurs when bilirubin builds up faster than a newbornís liver can break it down and pass it from the body. High levels of bilirubin (usually above 20 mg) can cause deafness, cerebral palsy, or brain damage in some babies.
Since this item was not in the SCRMCís current yearís operations budget and is specialized equipment, it was requested through the grant process from United Way. The Lions and Lionesses Clubs also contributed to the purchase of this important $3800 testing device.
This United Way gift is one of many given to SCRMC. Previously, generous gifts from United Way funds have helped the Medical Center purchase a CO2 Capnograph and a Pulse Oximeter monitor for the Emergency Department, an infant nursery apnea monitor, a wheel chair with built-in scale, an OB Doppler, a digital thermometer, and a grid cassette for the X-ray Department, as well as an otoscope and an ophthalmic scope purchased for the new clinic facilities, and infant hearing testing equipment.
Since 2001, gifts from the United Way total more than $16,000.
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