Christmas Wishes: Life saving training

Watch our full 2024 Christmas appeal video here.

“On the 7th Day of Christmas, our nurses really need – life saving training!”

Thanks to your donations, CHSF were able to pay for ECMO training and accommodation in Birmingham for four Leeds-based Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) nurses.

One of those nurses, PICU Staff Nurse Charlotte Pike said:

“The ECMO course was really informative. I feel like we all learnt so much, not just about ECMO, but about cardiac and how different centres care for children with complex cardiac conditions.

 

“I feel so fortune that I was about able to go on the course and thankful that my accommodation was paid for along with an allowance for the evenings.”

ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) is utilised on the sickest patients who are suffering from either cardiac and/or respiratory failure and can no longer support themselves physiologically. 

ECMO artificially pumps oxygenated blood around the patient’s circulation, preserving life until the patient is either bridged to recovery or to an alternative therapy.

The duration of support can range from a few days to a few weeks, with machine and patient working together.

Medical Secretary Natasha Brown added:

“Last year we had 16 patients requiring ECMO whilst on PICU. Thanks to this training, we will be able to have more patients on ECMO than ever before, if required, as we will have more trained nurses to choose from.” 

Watch our full Christmas Wishes Appeal video, featuring lots of familiar faces – including staff, patients and families! Thanks to everyone who got involved!