IT’S alarming to say the least: A photograph of a baby with cherubic little cheeks, seemingly trapped inside a test tube. But not all is what it seems ...
While the baby, who is unidentified, looks concerned, he or she is actually perfectly safe and under the watchful eye of doctors. The bub in question is getting an x-ray in a machine known as the Pigg-O-Stat, which is a paediatric immobiliser.
“Since 1960, the Pigg-O-Stat has been and continues to be the first choice for paediatricians, doctors, and medical professionals around the globe,” the device’s web page reads. “The Pigg-O-Stat is an all-in-one paediatric immobilisation device designed for positioning infants and young children for an appropriate x-ray without significant complications.”
The image started circulating after being posted to Reddit by user bretstar, who said it “looks hilarious” — and many agreed.
“It looks like that baby is about to be sent through the tubes at the bank drive through” one user wrote.
“Those storks did a sh***y job delivering babies, so we upgraded to BabyTube2000 (tm)” wrote another.
One user said they were “totally saving this picture for when my 8 year old asks me where babies come from and how they get in the mom’s belly. ‘See, sweetie, the doctors load the baby into the hopper on top, and this machine compresses the baby, and using high pressure, inserts it into the belly of the mom-to-be.’”
Bringing it all back into perspective, user georgiasinclair wrote: “It might look hilarious, but it’s a damn life saver. It’s called a Piggostat. I use one every time I do a chest X-ray on a baby. Its use is to immobilise the child so that they don’t wiggle around. It might look scary, but it saves me from repeating my images and excess radiation.”
The Pigg-O-Stat was invented by US company Modern Way Immobilisers. News.com.au contacted the Australian Institute of Radiography, who said they were not aware of the device being used in Australia.
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