Angel Flight East Kootenay has recorded another first, in its mission to help East Kootenay patients get help. The charitable organization that that flies East Kootenay residents to medical treatment centres in Kelowna for free, flew, for the first time, a newborn baby.

Silas Robert Wright, of Fernie, was only 12 hours old when respiratory complications at his birth required his immediate transport to Kelowna.

After Silas was born in May at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook, he wasn香蕉视频直播檛 maintaining his oxygen levels, according to his mother, Sarah Wright.

Silas was diagnosed with transient tachypnea of the new born, and pneumothorax, and ventricular septal defects ( a hole in the wall of the heart (septum) that separates the two lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart.

Transient tachypnea of the newborn can present in infants shortly after birth. It is a breathing problem caused by a delay in the clearance of fetal lung fluid after birth, which leads to respiratory distress, and tachypnea.

Babies need extra oxygen for a few days, but most make a full recovery.

Pneumothorax is a collection of air outside the lung but within the pleural cavity. It can apply pressure on the lung and make it collapse.

Silas required immediate transport to Kelowna General Hospital香蕉视频直播檚 neonatal intensive care unit. He and Sarah were taken to Cranbrook airport, and flew with medics to Vancouver, and thence to Kelowna. Angel Flight took mother and son back to Cranbrook from Kelowna.

Brent Bidston, who founded Angel Flight in 2019, said that the air charity had hitherto not carried infants and newborns, 香蕉视频直播渂ecause we use unpressurized aircraft 香蕉视频直播� it香蕉视频直播檚 not a good idea for them.

香蕉视频直播淏ut now, if an attending doctor says they香蕉视频直播檙e okay to fly, as in a scheduled airline, then they香蕉视频直播檙e okay to fly with us, because we香蕉视频直播檙e pressurized now.香蕉视频直播� (Angel Flight recently acquired a new aircraft, with pressurized capabilities.)

香蕉视频直播淎nd we don香蕉视频直播檛 get very high, either.香蕉视频直播� Bidston said. 香蕉视频直播淪o we accepted [Silas] as our first ever.香蕉视频直播�

Certainly the flight itself was a success 香蕉视频直播� Silas slept the whole way. He is now back home in Fernie, and doing well.

Angel Flight East Kootenay is an entirely volunteer-led charitable organization with no paid employees. It香蕉视频直播檚 mission is to fly residents of the East Kootenays to treatment centres in Kelowna, for free!

As a registered charity it is currently accepting donations to be able to continue offering free flights. See more at https://angelflightek.ca/.