Identified Issues with the Use of Technology in Treatment of Newborn Infants at Risk of Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy : A study done at the largest obstetric hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam

Sammanfattning: Neonatal asphyxia is the third largest cause of neonatal mortality in Vietnam, and many of the surviving patients suffer from permanent brain damage. A cooling mattress used for treatment of infants suffering from asphyxia has been shown to have problems with providing a stable body temperature for the patients. The main purpose of this project is to assess potential problems with routines and the use of the most central technical equipment used to treat newborns suffering from asphyxia, as well as constructing a phantom to simulate a newborn infant in the process of cooling. The purpose of the simulation is to investigate new methods of using the cooling mattress to achieve a more stable body temperature when cooling the patient. The project was done at Phu San Hostpial and Vietnam National Children's Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. The technical evaluation was conducted with observations, interviews and a question form. The results showed that there were issues with the sensors connected to the ventilators, noise level from alarms and routines concerning sanitation. The phantom was based on a water bottle, an interest heater and a pump to mix the water. It proved not possible to construct a phantom that met the necessary criteria.