As St. Mary’s Regional Cardiac Care Centre celebrates its 10th anniversary as a provincial and national leader, it continues to provide quick, innovative, and quality access to cardiac patients in the region for procedures that save lives and improve cardiac health.
In the Cardiac Centre’s first 10 years, nearly:
– 32,000 diagnostic angiograms have been performed;
– 7,200 patients have had open heart surgery;
– 10,000 patients have undergone angioplasty; and
– 2,500 pacemakers have been implanted.
The introduction of cardiac expertise and state of the art equipment at St. Mary’s has ensured seamless care close to home for patients who would have previously had to travel to London, Hamilton or Toronto for these procedures.
According to a recent press release, St. Mary’s consistently has among the shortest wait times for cardiac procedures in Ontario and steadily achieves and exceeds the national benchmark for emergency treatment of STEMI heart attacks in patients from the Waterloo-Wellington region brought directly to St. Mary’s by regional paramedics.
The press release also states re-admission rates following an acute heart attack are approximately half the national rate.
The centre’s blood conservation program has resulted in low transfusion rates and better recovery after surgery. The centre serves a population base exceeding 800,400 people, with a referral area that extends from Simcoe to Goderich to Owen Sound.
Dr. Murray Pearce, Medical Director for the Cardiac Program, says “we hear regularly from patients and their families about how impressed they are with all facets of the cardiac program, from diagnosis to intervention to rehabilitation and follow-up clinics. They appreciate the high calibre of our professionals and dedicated support staff who consistently focus on quality clinical outcomes and patient and family satisfaction.”
In the past year, the program has begun implanting cardiac defibrillators, meaning area residents no longer have to travel to London or Hamilton for the devices. This is the first phase of St. Mary’s new heart rhythm program, which hopes to add highly-technical services for diagnosis and treating serious heart rhythm issues in the next two years.
A new $1.5 million cardiac catheterization camera, used in diagnostic angiograms (catheterizations) and angioplasty, was purchased in 2013 with community donations and proceeds of the Manulife LPGA Classic in Waterloo. Fundraising continues for a second camera for the catheterization lab and one for the heart rhythm program. Visit www.smgh.ca for more information.
