Saving babies' lives in Brazil by resuscitation
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SAO PAULO, Brazil — Lucia de Fatima Veloso knows well what it means to lose a newborn baby because of inadequate neonatal care. A pediatrician in the state of Piaui, she was 26 weeks pregnant "when I was in a traffic accident and suffered serious complications in childbirth. After eight days in the hospital, my baby died, due to the equipment used, which was totally inappropriate for neonatal resuscitation," she said.
Dr. Veloso was one of more than 100 Brazilian professionals — pediatricians, neonatologists and other medical providers — who appreciated their recent neonatal training from a Church-sponsored team of specialists.
President Gordon B. Hinckley described this Church program in 2004 April General Conference: "With the aid of selfless doctors and nurses, neonatal resuscitation training was provided to nearly 19,000 professionals in the year 2003 alone. The lives of thousands of babies will be spared as a consequence."
This training helps medical professionals resuscitate newborn infants who lack oxygen in the brain, a condition that occurs in about one-tenth of all births. Each year, some 5 million babies worldwide do not survive birth, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In 20 percent of these cases, suffocation is responsible. This number, around 1 million annual deaths of newborns, could be reduced by using simple techniques of neonatal resuscitation.
For many newborns in many parts of the world, chances of survival have been improved, thanks to programs such as the Church's Neonatal Resuscitation Program.
Elder J. Roberto Viveiros, a senior missionary, has helped plan neonatal resuscitation training in eight cities in Brazil. Church trainers demonstrate the practical aspect with complete neonatal resuscitation kits that were donated by the Church to hospitals. During the training, participants receive the Neonatal Resuscitation Manual, prepared by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association.
In the first weeks of March, in Guarulhos in metropolitan So Paulo, and in Teresina in the State of Piaui, a training team was composed of four doctors, Robert Clark, Walter Berkheimer, Jack Christensen and Richard Later, nurses Alisson McKenna and Keri Stone, and Carlos Pereira, a respiratory therapist.
In Guarulhos the training has proven effective for 28 doctors in the Carlos Chagas Hospital.
"We need to be capable so that children at birth do not encounter difficulties," said Dr. Valentim Fernandes, hospital director.
In Teresina, the classes were taught in the cultural hall of one of the meetinghouses. The state's governor, Wellington Dias, and his wife, Rejane Dias, attended the training.
"For us, to have Piaui be a pioneer in this project is a source of great pride," said Gov. Dias. "We are opening the doors to the country. I know that with this training we are qualifying even more of our doctors and thus saving more lives."
Mrs. Dias added, "This training is very important, not only for the knowledge that our professionals will gain, but also for the equipment that will be donated by the Church."
The state secretary of health of Piaui, Bruno Figueiredo, said that he had no doubt that the training will permit better neonatal care for patients in his state. "We appreciate the partnership with The Church of Jesus Christ that has permitted this. This is only the first indication of what this partnership will provide."
Ana Luiza Rodrigues, superintendent of Hospital de Base in So Jose do Rio Preto, affirmed for a city newspaper that "the training is very important to help the medical community to improve the way to resuscitate."
The benefits of the training program become very real at Teresina's Evangelina Rosa Hospital, where, according to Dr. Oneide Santos, maternity director, "About 10 percent of babies who are born require some type of resuscitation."
At Evangelina Rosa, there are 780 attendants assisting the patients, who come from far and wide, including from Tocantins, Maranho and Cear. She said that in the maternity area, an average of 30 babies are born daily, making a total of 900 per month. Of these births, about 22 of 1,000 die of respiratory complications, she said, indicating that the training will be most helpful for this hospital.
Brazil Fortaleza Mission President Leonal S Maia, whose mission encompasses Piaui, explained the ripple effect of this project, for each participating doctor will receive enough materials to train eight other professionals within the next year. "This project is important, because it will save lives in the long run," said President Maia.
