From the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in-house magazine:

The Leeds Neonatal Unit team were very pleased to receive a donation of new equipment recently. The equipment will enhance our ability to provide the best care to newborn infants born with encephalopathy due to an interruption to oxygen supply during labour.

The equipment was donated by the Friends of Alfie Martin Charity, who have raised significant sums of money for the unit since the sad death of Alfie, who was born in Harrogate in 2002, and transferred for neonatal intensive care in Leeds soon afterwards.

The new equipment, which cost over £32,000 consists of a cerebral function monitor, with seizure recognition software that allows early detection of brain dysfunction and seizures, and a servo-controlled cooling mattress that allow babies’ to be cooled to 32 degrees to prevent secondary brain injury.

Consultant Nonatologist, Dr Lawrence Miall said, “This treatment, which unfortunately wasn’t available when Alfie was born, gives a much greater chance of preventing long term disability after perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury. Leeds Neonatal Unit now has three cooling systems, allowing us to cool several babies at the same time, or to lend the equipment to adjacent Neonatal Intensive Care Units if needed.”