Our project "Improving the Protection of Children in Emergencies in Ukraine by Providing Safe Shelters, Food and Non-Food Items, and Psychosocial Support" continues, within the framework of which the Charitable Organization "Charity Fund "Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya" donated a modern spirometer and consumables to the Uzhhorod City Children’s Clinical Hospital.

It was a specialized medical cargo, which included a spirometer and software for it, a hundred disposable mouthpieces and other peripherals.

"Respiratory diseases are prevalent among our young patients. These are bronchitis, bronchial asthma and other pathologies. In order to correctly determine the diagnosis, and then prescribe treatment, it is necessary to determine the nature of the cough or other symptoms. The received equipment will allow this to be done quickly. For example, a spirometer can detect whether a child has bronchospasm, and is also used to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of drugs included in the treatment regimen for respiratory pathology. The device is used to measure the volume of exhalation and inhalation, and based on this data, the efficiency and speed of filling and emptying the lungs are calculated", says Taisiia Shubert, medical director of the Uzhhorod City Children’s Clinical Hospital.

She also added that there is no seasonality to respiratory diseases, as doctors deal with viral diseases, allergies, and, unfortunately, the effects of teenagers smoking e-cigarettes.

"Children often have respiratory diseases, and the residual cough after them lasts for quite a long time – from a week to several months. Examination of the external respiratory function allows us to find out the origin of this cough. Now we have a new problem – the harmful trend of smoking e-cigarettes. For adolescents, this is, without exaggeration, a growing problem that is a challenge for pulmonologists. New portable devices – spirographs – have allowed allergists and pulmonologists to reach a new level of patient examination. With the help of this device, it is possible to monitor the condition of a patient with such serious diseases as bronchial asthma as accurately as possible, to control possible exacerbations in time and to properly regulate the doses of inhaled glucocorticosteroids. The spirometer donated to the hospital is an important part of our work and a significant support for doctors in responding to patients’ requests and needs", summarizes Taisiia Shubert.

As a reminder, at the end of 2023, the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya donated similar equipment to St. Martin’s Hospital in Mukachevo. At the same time, thanks to the support of CAMZ, the Uzhhorod Children’s Hospital is already using an electroencephalograph and two modern electrocardiographs.

The project "Improving the Protection of Children in Emergencies in Ukraine by Providing Safe Shelters, Food and Non-Food Items, and Psychosocial Support" is being implemented by the Charitable Organization "Charity Fund "Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya" with the support of "terre des hommes Deutschland e.V." and funding from the German Federal Foreign Office.