PATIENTS in the Fraser Valley who need implantable electrical devices can now have their treatment at Abbotsford Regional Hospital (ARH) instead of having to travel to Royal Columbian Hospital and Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre Clinic.
The site is the third in the province to offer remote monitoring services to patients living in the Fraser Valley: Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Fraser Canyon, Mission and Langley.
Pacemakers are recommended for people with conditions that cause the heart to beat abnormally. The average heart relies on neurotransmitters, as well as structures, within the heart to maintain pumping action required to circulate blood. With individuals that have irregular heart beats, or other cardiac conditions, the pumping action is limited, which is why a small electronic device is usually placed in the chest to help regulate the flow of blood.
Overseeing, the pacemaker program is a large Fraser Health team. The team consists of members from the operating room, anesthesiology, cardiac surgeons, the cardiac team, diagnostic cardiology, medical imaging, surgical day care, PACU, triage office, and cardiac network leads.
The operational team is under the leadership of Wendy Newson and Julie Dhaliwal, directors of clinical operations, community and hospital. Dhaliwal says that the goal is “to perform six cases a week at ARH with a total of 312 devices implanted per year. There will be potential to grow services as global funding becomes available to increase pacemaker implantable devices.”
Eight regional implanters, cardiac surgeons, will join Dr. Rezazadeh in the operating room for Friday pacemaker implants.
Dr. Bhugra, cardiologist, helped kick off the celebration event, held on September 22 at ARH for the cardiac team and others involved in helping with the program launch. As Bhugra says, “today is going to be the day we remember for many years to come, the first pacemaker implantations were successfully performed this morning…since this hospital has been opened, since its inception, we have been sending all our permanent pacemakers to Jim Pattison Pavilion in Surrey and to Royal Columbian Hospital, until today.”
Several other team members also spoke on this momentum occasion, including Holly-Kennedy-Symonds—regional strategic lead cardiac network. Symonds spoke on how, “so much effort, and so much collegiality, and collaboration went into this new service for our heart patients”.
This new service offers hope, ease and efficiency in a time where, as Dhaliwal says, we are “predicted to experience significant positive percentage increase in cases by 2040.”
The photos below show some of the hundreds of people in Canada who have had their lives improved thanks to a pacemaker.
“And this milestone is something we celebrate here today with the opening of the pacemaker program in Abbotsford where healing hearts remains the heart of the work,” says the team.
To support projects like this one, you can contact Dr. Lakhbir Jassal, Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation, at 778-552-5117 or email: Lakhbir.Jassal@fraserhealth.ca
