General News
27 May, 2025
Better care for young patients
YOUNG patients admitted to Cairns Hospital’s paediatric ward will now find cannulation a much easier process as a generous donation from Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation has equipped paediatric doctors with a new piece of ultrasound equipment.
Valued at $38,454, the cutting-edge Sonosite ST ultrasound system is a life-changing innovation for paediatric patients requiring intravenous treatment.
The system allows doctors to easily, efficiently and accurately locate veins for a much more streamline cannulation process. Cairns Hospital director of paediatrics Doctor Neil Archer said many young patients who were acutely unwell or had a chronic condition needed cannulation for IV fluid or medications.
“Cannulations can be very challenging,” he said.
“Not only for the child, but also for their families.
“When a child is very unwell, their body redirects blood flow away from superficial veins making a smaller target.
“Unfortunately, finding veins often becomes more challenging over time for young people with chronic conditions, as veins will tend to become harder to access as they are repeatedly used.”
Now fully operational in Cairns Hospital’s paediatric ward, the new ultrasound system has significantly enhanced the experience for vulnerable children, with paediatric doctors, now trained in ultrasound-guided cannulation, now able to accurately locate veins in the children for whom cannulation is difficult, in effect improving the chances of a successful first attempt.
Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation chief executive officer Gina Hogan said it was important that paediatric patients in the Far North had the same standard of care as they received in Brisbane.
