Article from 2022 Impact of Giving Annual Report

Having access to the most advanced equipment and technology is essential to achieving the best outcomes for patients. Thanks to the Auxiliaries, who in 2022 celebrated 100 years of supporting the RCH, the hospital can continue providing the best diagnosis and treatment for some of the sickest children in Victoria and beyond through vital equipment upgrades.

In celebration of their centenary year, the Auxiliaries have come together to give the hospital a special gift, funding almost $1.8 million worth of new equipment in the hospital.

To date, 29 Auxiliaries have put funds towards the purchase of equipment for departments and wards right across the hospital, including Ophthalmology, PICU, Neurosurgery, Cardiology, Emergency, Medical Imaging, Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery, the RCH Gender Service, and Day Cancer. Of these 29 groups, 18 have joined forces this year, pooling their fundraising dollars to purchase vital pieces of equipment.

Dr Miriam (Mim) Weisz OAM, President of the RCH Auxiliaries said that the Auxiliaries wanted to do something special to honour the hospital in their centenary year.

“In our 100th year, we wanted to give a gift to the hospital that would leave a lasting legacy. Each of the items will have an impact on many children, not just now but for many years to come. Being able to fund such an important project in this, our centenary year, is something all Auxiliaries should be incredibly proud of,” said Mim.

Mr Mike O’Brien, Chief of Surgery at the RCH, said philanthropic supporters like the Auxiliaries allow the hospital to be a world leader in the way it cares for its patients.

“Healthcare innovation moves along at a pace that government funding cannot possibly keep up with. Consequently, if you want to be able to provide the best possible standard of care, then you need the help of philanthropy and groups like the Auxiliaries,” said Mike.

“Thanks to the Auxiliaries, we can purchase cutting edge equipment, innovate the way we care for our patients and transform the future of children’s health,” he added.

One of the vital pieces of equipment that the Auxiliaries have supported is a 3D Mapping System for the Cardiology Department.

The 3D Cardiac Mapping System creates a real-time three dimensional model based on the anatomy of the patient’s heart. This will allow precision mapping of electric signals via catheters in the heart and displays the position of the catheters and electrical activity simultaneously onto

the 3D model.

Not only does the equipment provide accurate data that identifies abnormal areas of activation, which can then be targeted and ablated, but it also helps reduce radiation and the need for further intervention.

According to Associate Professor Andreas Pflaumer, Paediatric Cardiologist and Clinical Lead Interventional Electrophysiology at the RCH, the new equipment will have a significant impact on patient care at the hospital.

“The new system has many new innovative upgrades, including the magnet mode. It will provide a much more detailed 3D reconstruction of the structures of the heart, which for our complex congenital patients will result in a more accurate area of focus for ablation,” said Andreas.

“It also comes with a higher resolution, better signal quality and can acquire more points of information in a shorter amount of time which will potentially lead to shorter procedure times and therefore shorten anaesthetic time.”

“We are so thankful to the Auxiliaries for funding the new 3D Mapping System. It will make an enormous difference to countless cardiac patients and will ensure the hospital remains at the forefront of patient care for many years to come,” he added.

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