One of the toughest experiences a parent can face is leaving their child in a hospital to recover. However, thanks to new technology in the
Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) in Little Rock, they are only a login away.
This year, ACH became the first hospital in the United States to install the AngelEye IRIS cameras and online platform in Arkansas Children's Heart Institute's CVICU, giving parents and caregivers 24/7 livestream access to their child, medical education and one-way patient updates.
And the technology is already changing lives.
Sidney Sharp, BSN, R.N., CCRN, the clinical nurse educator of the CVICU, who spearheaded the installation, training and education of the AngelEye cameras and platform, recalled a nervous parent whose child's condition had worsened and required transfer to the CVICU. Sharp greeted her with an AngelEye IRIS camera, allowing her 24/7 livestream access to her child while they recovered.
"She was like, 'You have no idea how much stress you've just alleviated for me.' I told her, 'I'm so sorry that this event happened to your child.' She said, 'No, no, no - I now have eyes on him all the time. I feel so much better,'" Sharp said. "That's peace of mind.
Total cardiovascular care
While the technology is available in over 100 neonatal intensive care units nationwide, including the ACH NICU, it’s the first time used in a U.S. hospital’s CVICU.
“Due to our large fetal population, we received donor funds to specifically implement this technology already being used in our NICU in our CVICU,” Sharp said.
The institute's CVICU is a 30-bed unit with an average of 26 patients daily. Roughly 90 medical team members, including intensivists, cardiologists, surgeons, advanced practice nurses, pharmacologists, social workers and specialty nurses, monitor patients 24/7.
Patients range from newborns to the elderly because of the institute's adult congenital heart disease program. The program follows pediatric cardiology patients throughout their lifetime. Common conditions seen in the CVICU include hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), ventricular septal defect (VSD) and atrial septal defect (ASD).
Fostering family bonding
Arkansas Children’s launched the five IRIS cameras on Feb. 7, 2024, the first day of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Awareness Week, a recognition within American Heart Month.
According to AngelEye Health, the HIPPA-compliant cameras include:
- A five-inch LED touch screen
- Clear views in darkened rooms
- Flexible mounts
Because of the limited number of cameras, the medical team has the discretion to rotate them every seven days between families. Typically, the cameras are given to newborn families whose mothers may be unable to visit the CVICU after giving birth.
"Studies show that if you can hold your baby, see your baby and smell your baby, that will help with your milk production," Sharp said. "And it's just one of those many great gifts mom can provide us."
Sharp added that some long-term patients also benefit from the cameras, like one child with a ventricular assist device (VAD), a device attached to the heart that helps circulate oxygenated blood throughout the body while the child awaits a heart transplant or for long-term support.
"The child's mom has to work, so she cannot always be here. The rest of their siblings like to video in and watch them," Sharp said. "It's great because it's facilitating bonding."
The cameras can be turned off for routine care, like diaper changes and drawing blood, so team members can focus on providing the best care for their patients.
Educating families
Any family in the CVICU, even if they do not have access to a camera, can use the AngelEye Mobile app for online parent education and one-way patient updates from the medical team.
Sharp created customized education for CVICU patients and families, including after-care guidance, visitor policies, breastfeeding tips and car seat safety.
"They had some pre-built education that was very NICU-specific. I got to use my specialty nurses from our cardiology clinic. I've become a subject-matter expert in breastmilk to help craft the education," Sharp said.
It is available in Spanish and will be available in Marshallese.
The technology also allows nurses to send a sweet patient photo or video to the family or videos that show how to provide needed care for a child, like proper breastfeeding latching.
Providing quick information to families through the app helps caregivers stay updated on changes in their child’s medical care or visitor policies.
"When our visitor restrictions change, I can put those updates in the AngelEye app and send them to all the families. It is a much smoother process," Sharp said. "If I have something medically urgent that I need them to go back and look at, I can message them and ask them to review it so they understand. They do have the option to say more information is needed. So next time I see the patient's family, I can say, 'Hey, you had a question about this. Let's talk about it face-to-face.
Changing lives
Sharp said CVICU nurses have embraced the AngelEye cameras and platform, knowing it’s another way to help families stay close to their children, even when they cannot be there in person.
"These nurses go the extra mile for every patient," Sharp said. "I have people advocating all the time, saying, 'Make sure my patient's name is on the list.' Quite a few nurses have stepped up and said, 'I want to facilitate that bonding.' We love these children so much."
She added that it also helps families who spend hours in the CVICU to focus on self-care, like taking a walk, getting a snack or taking a nap while having their phones close by to monitor their child.
For Sharp, successfully putting this technology in the CVICU was personal. In 2022, her son, Stone, was born seven weeks early.
"My blood pressure was astronomically high. It was like 220 over 120. I was losing my vision," Sharp said. She suffered from preeclampsia, and her baby had to be delivered that day.
Stone was intubated and moved to a NICU. She could not hold her son until 12 hours after delivery but was given access to an AngelEye IRIS camera.
"The whole night, I was just staring at my phone, staring at my child," Sharp said. "He stayed 35 days in the NICU, and I was able to watch him every night. Anytime I stepped away, I had that phone out and I could look at him. It just made me feel so good. It helped for sure."
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