It is a kind of mobile intensive care unit for babies. The Máxima Medical Centre in Veldhoven is the first hospital in the Netherlands to have a self-designed ‘babylance’, an ambulance specially built to transport newborn children who have come into the world much too early or are seriously ill.
The ‘babylance’ is the result of a collaboration between the GGD and hospital MMC. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary ambulance that is a bit more robust. ‘It feels much more stable while driving on the road,’ says ambulance driver Johnny Stekhuizen, who was closely involved in the development of the special ambulance.
‘There are dual rear wheels under the car, which cushions uneven road surfaces better. And so the car is much more solid for the little patients.’ Because the babies that are transported in the babylance are very small.
‘Sometimes children are born extremely early, weigh only 500 grams and fit in the palm of your hand,’ says Kim Hermans. She is a neonatologist at MMC, which is a paediatrician specialising in newborn babies.
Difficult start
Together with a nurse, Kim travels with this special hospital transport. ‘It’s not just about premature babies, but also babies who have had a difficult start due to lack of oxygen, for example,’ she says.
Not only does the vehicle have a stable roadway, the interior environment in the trolley is stable and the light is calm. ‘The babies can be transported in a softer way and with less stimuli and the necessary equipment is within easy reach.’
Around the transport incubator in the ‘babylance’ are compressed air, respirators, pumps and an infusion to administer drugs, and a monitor for oxygen and heart rate.
Extra seat
‘Because the car is wider, we can easily reach everything and there is also room for an extra seat, on which, if possible, one of the parents rides along with the transport. That’s a long-cherished wish,’ says Dr Hermans. ‘After all, you want to keep a family like this together as much as possible.’
It is not surprising that Maxima MC in particular has its own ‘babylance’. The Veldhoven hospital is the only one in Brabant with an intensive care unit for newborns. ‘The very sickest or prematurely born children are transferred from other hospitals in East Brabant to the Máxima and it is precisely for this transport that the ‘babylance’ is intended.’
Always ready
In the past, a transport incubator was put in an ordinary ambulance, later an ambulance was adapted especially for baby transport. The new baby ambulance is always on standby at the Máxima. It has been in use for a few months now and it’s needed. ‘On average, we drive out about three times a week,’ she says.
Source: Studio040
Tranlsated by: Vanya Dobrikova
