Ward 5 / Intensive Care Unit
Adult Intensive Care Unit (AICU)
AICU consist of four beds. We are nursing sick and critically ill patients. We function as a general ICU admitting paediatrics, neurological injuries (trauma to the head/brain), Medical, Surgical, Orthopaedic (multiple trauma), Compromised maternity patients and sick neonates that cannot be admitted to Neonatal ICU. Most of these patients requires mechanical ventilation (patients who needs to be supported on a ventilator to assist breathing).
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
NICU has a six-bed unit. Micro-premature babies (weight of less than one kilogram), premature babies (weight one kilogram up to 2.5 kilograms) and sick neonates (2.5 kilograms and above) are admitted. These babies are admitted with respiratory difficulties requiring oxygen therapy (high flow, humidified oxygen, blended oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation (babies who requires to be on a respiratory ventilator to assist with breathing). We also nursed babies that requires the “Cooling therapy”.
Premature unit
The premature unit is having 10 beds. Micro-premature and premature babies are nursed here. These babies are directly admitted from NICU, ward 4, theatre and Ventersdorp. These babies need to be nursed in premature unit as they require to be nursed in warm incubators. When these babies reach their desired weight they are nursed in baby cribs before they are discharged. They are only discharged when they are 1,8kg. These babies are fed with a nasogastric tube until they reach the desired weight to be introduced to cup feeding (per mouth) and then eventually to breastfeed, when they are strong enough to be breastfed.
Lodger room
The lodger room is having four beds. In order for us to make sure that continuous and effective care are given to our babies, their mothers need to lodge. The mothers of the soon to be discharged babies are admitted in this room. This is to ensure that they are shown, taught and supervised by our nurses in how to take care of their babies. Both mother and baby are only discharged when the mother is well capable to take care of her baby.
The day time mothers visit every day, all day until 16:00. The main purpose of this is to make sure they bond with their babies. They do kangaroo-mother care. They are shown and assisted in how to take care of their babies and how to feed their babies under supervision. We help them to express breastmilk. A dedicated multidisciplinary team are working together to ensure the units functions well.
Human milk bank
We are having our own human milk bank on the same floor of ICU. The milk bank are overseen by the ICU-unit manager and or dedicated dieticians. We are overall under the strict leadership of the SABR which is situated in Johannesburg. The human milk bank ensures that our premature babies NEVER runs out of donated human breastmilk. The breastmilk bank functions under the strict regulations of the National Human milk bank. Potential mothers are identified by nurses of premature unit and NICU. They must fall within the strict criteria to donate breastmilk. A specialized procedure are followed before this donated milk are used. We then pasteurize the milk and store it following the prescribed regulations. All our babies therefore benefit from these breastmilk, until their mothers can produce enough milk to feed their babies.