Pioneer Medical Research Foundation's Project Palav

Pioneer Medical Research Foundation‘s Project Palav for use of a simple cost effective breathing support system that can provide support to breathing of newborns who suffer from pneumonia or weak premature lungs to be used during hospital stay or during transport. Issue: In India and most of the developing world in Africa mainly in the rural and tribal areas infant deaths are very high. More than 50 % of infant mortality is because of lung related illnesses which are undiagnosed or untreated. The main objective of this project is to save babies born with weak lungs or those with pneumonia. Action: We have designed a strategy to effectively provide support to the lungs using a portable affordable system modified from evidence based proven heated humidified high flow nasal cannula system. It will help keep the babies lungs open and help the baby to live. As a part of Project Palav what we have done so far is to get some of this equipment from USA and send them to semi-urban or rural hospitals in selected regions. We have several pilot programs running that involves training medical staff, installing the equipment for free at government hospitals in the rural and semi-urban settings and tracking changes in infant mortality and need of transport. We also have created a training video of use of heated humidified high flow nasal cannula system for the developing world. Ongoing Programs: Heated Humidified High Flow nasal Cannula system for newborns with mild to moderate respiratory distress: • KEM Hospital, Pune, India • Sant Dnyaneshwar Medical Education and Research Center, Pune, India • Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital, Pimpri, Pune • Dr. Vasantrao Pawar Medical College, Nashik, Maharashtra • Modern Clinic and maternity center, Wai, Maharashtra • Pinapanneni Medical center, Vyyuru, Andhra Pradesh • Anand Hospital, Alephata, Bhor, Maharashtra • JSS Medical College, Mysore, Karnataka • CMC Ludhiana, Punjab