Southlake Regional Health Centre is the first to implant a device it has pegged as the future of cardiac therapy.
George Woods, 73 from Midland, was implanted with a Vision 3D wireless defibrillator last week. He is the first in Canada to receive the new technology, which has just been launched in in the North American market by a leading medical technology developer.
“I feel great and have been able to do things I couldn’t before,” he said at a hospital press conference today. “I used to have trouble cleaning my teeth myself and I wear dentures.”
Mr. Woods has a weak heart due to multiple heart attacks in the past.
He underwent bypass surgery twice but his heart was still irregular, explained Southlake electrophysiologist Dr. Atul Verma who implanted the device.
The procedure takes a little over an hour where a two inch incision is made just under the collarbone where the device is inserted.
Wires are fed through the patient’s veins and attached to the defibrillator before the incision is closed.
“After two major bypass surgeries, this was nothing,” added Mr. Woods.
The device is described as a stopwatch-size implant in the chest with thin wires extending to the heart, which give electrical shocks to stop irregular heart rhythms and can prevent sudden cardiac arrest.
It remotely monitors the condition of the patient from the comfort of home and automatically alerts medical staff to any changes or problems.
"With this innovation, patients no longer have to book check-ups every three to four months at cardiac centres," said Southlake advance practice nurse Marianne Beardsall.
This will in turn reduce hours of driving and wait times for patients, she added.
All monitoring can now be done online and appointments are only needed if the reports show a complication or potential risk.
This translates to better patient care giving patients increased peace of mind and freeing up doctors and nurses to treat more people in less time.?
For more, see Thrusday's paper.