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• 1610 Vol. 37 No. 46 SINGLE COPY — $3.00 (includes GST) SUBSCRIPTIONS — $300 pa (print) $150 pa (digital)
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THURSDAY, 20TH JUNE 2024 Local people. Local news.
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Coona Hospital burns bright in history Research conducted at Coonabarabran Hospital led to the implementation of filters in every operating theatre across NSW. by GEORGIA SPENCE Who knew a guinea pig, an operating theatre light and the Coonaba rab ran Hospital all had something in common? In the sixties, research was conducted by Docto r Robi n F rase r and nurse Bev Rayner, in response to an incident where a patient received burns during operation. The late Dr Fraser ruled out other elements in the operating theatre and devised the best method to measu re heat emissions from the theatre light. H i s m et h o d wa s to use a g u i nea pig, a s a way to measure the temperature of the light and its effect on t h e b l a c k- a n d - w h i te patches of the animal. The experiment had to be conducted over a weekend because the hospital’s matron at the ti me wou l d not have allowed the operating theatres to be used in such a manner. Mrs Rayner was e n l i s te d by D r F ra s e r
to measure the guinea pig’s tem pe ratu re under the light, ensuring the animal was not exposed long enough to be burned. “Dr Fraser was trying to prove that there was no control over the heat of the light on various sur faces, and that a f i lte r ove r the l ight could mean the heat was more controlled,” Mrs Rayner said. “Nursing is all about looking after the patient as a whole. In operating theatres, it is especially important to look out for a patient’s temperature. “H i s resea rch was n e ce s s a r y a n d l e d to all operating theatre lights in NSW being fitted with a filter. Following the experiment he would have had to submit paper s fo r fu r ther investigation.” D r F ra se r m i g rated to New Zealand after his time in Coo n a ba ra b ra n a n d became a foundation s ta f f m e m b e r o f t h e Christchurch School of Medicine in 1974.
1 - Coonabarabran Times, Thursday, 20 June 2024
Yea r late r, he then became the di rector of the Canterbur y Medical Research Foundation and in 2006 he was awa rded the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to medical research. Due to the groundbreaking research conducted
at Coonabarabran Hospital, patients are now kept safe and warm during surgery – but not too warm!