IMRIS Machine

Sometimes, the best way to attract world-class paediatric outcomes is with a five-tonne magnet.

The intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging system (IMRIS) machine enables surgeons to perform MRI scans during brain surgery without the need to leave theatre or move the patient from the table, enhancing patient safety. The new system features an MRI scanner suspended from the ceiling which can move into the Neurosurgical theatre or Cardiology lab, allowing surgeons to access scans in real time, which assists with decision making and guidance during complex operations.

“The advantage is our other areas will be more efficient. There are direct benefits to the patients in the operating theatre, but also improved access to our imaging services for our other patients.”

Timothy Cain, Medical Imaging Specialist

Thanks to funding from the Good Friday Appeal, the RCH was the first paediatric hospital in Australia to offer the IMRIS. It currently assists approximately 1,000 patients each year.

Dr Golly introduces the IMRIS machine and speaks to two surgeons for the Good Friday Appeal 2018 Telethon

Posted July 2018

Our Newsletter

Everything Good Friday Appeal, straight to your inbox. Get more information about your impact and how to get involved.

Clinical Nutrition Service

Poor nutritional status can lead to an increased risk of surgical complications, prolonged stays in hospital and increased mortality. 

With a larger team including a consultant, nurse consultant and pharmacist, the Nutrition Service will grow their dedication to the treatment and care of patients who are receiving nutrition intravenously, and look to establish the Intestinal Rehabilitation and Clinical Nutrition Service as a nationally recognised Centre of Excellence for the care of children and adolescents with complex nutrition problems.

Posted June 2018

Our Newsletter

Everything Good Friday Appeal, straight to your inbox. Get more information about your impact and how to get involved.

Point-of-care Ultrasound Program

POCUS empowers clinicians to conduct ultrasounds at a patient’s bedside, rather than a medical imaging specialist or sonographer. POCUS will be used to answer specific clinical questions to assist clinicians in decision-making as they gather information on the patient including their medical history and physical examinations.

Research increasingly shows that POCUS programs can hasten clinical diagnosis, inform the clinician about ordering subsequent medical imaging, make invasive procedures less painful, improve procedural success, improve patient flow, and increase patient satisfaction.

To support the new POCUS program, new ultrasound machines have been acquired for use around the hospital. These ultrasound machines will enable direct integration with hospital technology and will ensure each department has the equipment they need to implement POCUS.

Once successfully implemented, POCUS will decrease the demand for Medical Imaging appointments and improve the care clinicians can provide to their patients.

Posted June 2018
Image: RCH Melbourne – Creative Service Photography

Our Newsletter

Everything Good Friday Appeal, straight to your inbox. Get more information about your impact and how to get involved.

Infant Warmers for Critical Care

Funding from the Good Friday Appeal has gone towards the purchase of new infant radiant warmers and hybrid incubators at The Royal Children’s Hospital, keeping our most vulnerable babies safe, warm and closer to their parents touch.

The new infant warmers and hybrid incubators also place staff in closer contact with critically ill infants, and allow for resuscitation and care equipment to be immediately at hand.

Four-month-old Archie was one of the first patients to be supported by the new state-of-the-art devices. Born 11 weeks early, Archie required a hybrid incubator days after his premature arrival.

The night Archie was born he was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the RCH by ambulance, where he was diagnosed with tachycardia, a type of heart rhythm disorder in which the heart beats faster than normal while at rest.

Being in the new hybrid incubator while he was in hospital for treatment meant it was easy for his mum Danica and dad Shaun to be close to Archie. 

“Having Archie in the hybrid incubator meant we didn’t have that barrier between us. It was easy to touch him, to give him kisses, to change his nappy, it made a big difference,” Danica said.

The Director of Neonatal Medicine at the RCH, Professor Rod Hunt, said a major benefit of the new technology was that it gave doctors, nurses and allied health staff better access to critically ill and premature babies, like Archie.

“It allows us to weigh babies without removing them from the cot so that we can better monitor their nutrition. It also allows us to do procedures and surgery on babies without taking them off their bed because the sides can come down,” Prof Hunt said.

Posted June 2018

Our Newsletter

Everything Good Friday Appeal, straight to your inbox. Get more information about your impact and how to get involved.

The CLARITY Juvenile Arthritis Research Platform

With support from the Good Friday Appeal, The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Department of Rheumatology has established the CLARITY Juvenile Arthritis Research Platform to better understand and treat the disease.

The RCH and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute are home to Australia’s only paediatric rheumatology research program, and the new CLARITY study is set to help translate research findings into practice, improving clinical care for children both locally, nationally and internationally. With the aim of enrolling 250 participants annually, the study will enable new research that aims to identify biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of children with juvenile arthritis.

Photo: RCH Melbourne – Creative Studio Photography
Posted June 2018

Our Newsletter

Everything Good Friday Appeal, straight to your inbox. Get more information about your impact and how to get involved.

Brain Tumour Clinical Trials

To advance the care, treatment and diagnosis of these patients at the RCH, the Children’s Cancer Centre (CCC) identified the need for a greater enrolment in international clinical trials.

The CCC now has two Clinical Trial Coordinators administering a new clinical trials program aimed at improving overall survival and ongoing quality of life for children with cancer. Though often confused with drug trials, clinical trials are aimed at developing new or improved methods of care. This includes things like:

  • innovative drug therapies,
  • the best combination of procedures to provide more effective, and
  • less toxic treatments for better long-term quality of life.

The launch of the clinical trials programs has allowed for more individualised care for paediatric brain tumour.

Clinical trials are the backbone of careThey provide access to the best level of international care. By participating in them, children at the RCH get the same care as those in big medical centres like New York.”

– Michael Sullivan, Head of Neuro-Oncology and Solid Tumour Programs

Thanks to your generous support, funds from the Good Friday Appeal and the Cancer Crusaders Auxiliary have supported brain tumour clinical trials at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.

Posted May 2018

Our Newsletter

Everything Good Friday Appeal, straight to your inbox. Get more information about your impact and how to get involved.