Australia’s first “Pea Pod” at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital

24 October 2007

Australia’s first “Pea Pod” at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital

Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser today unveiled Australia’s first “Pea Pod” machine for premature babies at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH).

Funded through a $200,000 Golden Casket Foundation grant the Pea Pod is a new machine that measures the body composition of premature and young babies, helping to identify potential long-term illness.

“The new equipment and research now underway at RBWH has the potential to help thousands of families across Queensland,” Mr Fraser said.

“The Perinatal Research Centre will use the Pea Pod as part of its ‘Bambino’ study which looks at the affects of obesity in pregnancy and a twin study which compares how genes and environment affect growth.

“Maternal obesity currently affects one in three pregnancies in Australia, and can lead to many health complications for both mothers and their babies.

“Experts hope to use the Pea Pod to measure the body composition of premature babies to determine what they are lacking in terms of nutrition.

“This in turn would allow doctors to better design a nutritional plan for that baby, to ensure optimum growth.”

Professor Paul Colditz, who is leading the baby research, said the Pea Pod is being used to measure at birth, at six weeks and three months of age, the body composition of babies.

“There’s so much we need to understand about growth,” Professor Colditz said.

“For example, when a baby has been born too small, what is its potential for catch-up growth and how should this baby best be fed?

“To date, information on babies’ growth and nutritional status has relied primarily on length, weight and circumference measurements.

“However the Pea Pod’s non-invasive, seven minute scans allow accurate assessments of the babies’ body fat and fat-free mass through air displacement plethysmography (ADP).”

Mr Fraser said the Golden Casket Foundation has funded 11 research projects around the state including funding for equipment to detect early signs of breast cancer.

“So far the Foundation has provided more than $2 million in funds for Queensland-based health and medical research,” he said.

Established in April 2005 by the Queensland Government and Golden Casket Lottery Corporation Limited, the Golden Casket Foundation has used interest accrued on unclaimed first division lotto prizes to reinvest in Queensland’s future by supporting medical research in Queensland.

Media Contact: Chris Ward 0418 424 654

Steven Ebert (RBWH) 3636 1354 or 0422 002 665