April 17, 2014
LETHBRIDGE – Chinook Regional Hospital has become the fourth acute care site in the province that can implant a life-saving device that automatically jump-starts a failing heart.
Over the last six months, five patients at the hospital have received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), a small battery-powered generator that constantly monitors the heart’s performance and corrects its rhythm by delivering a brief electrical impulse. The device is used to control life-threatening irregular heart rhythms, especially those that can cause sudden cardiac arrest.
“Similar to when EMS shocks a patient in cardiac arrest with a defibrillator, these devices do the same thing, except they are implanted in the chest and the leads contact to the heart directly,” says internal medicine specialist Dr. Aaron Low, who performs the procedure.
“The ICD has been shown to reduce mortality rates in patients with impaired heart function.”
Previously, southern Albertans who needed an ICD would have the procedure done in Calgary at Foothills Medical Centre, or in Edmonton at either the University of Alberta Hospital or Royal Alexandra Hospital.
“Some patients will still need to go to Calgary or Edmonton for this procedure if they require more advanced testing,” says Dr. Low. “But having this resource available here is a real bonus for some local cardiac patients and it takes some of the wait-time pressures off those other facilities.”
Doctors in Alberta implant about 800 ICDs each year.
Harold Brown of Lethbridge is pleased he didn’t need to leave the city to receive his ICD.
“Two years ago I had a major heart attack and actually flatlined,” says Brown, 64.
“I would have needed to go to Calgary for testing to see if I could get a defibrillator. But I was contacted by Dr. Low’s office and told the testing could be done here in Lethbridge. They told me the surgery could be done here, too. That was great news; I could have it all done close to home.”
The two-hour procedure was done in the hospital’s newly renovated Day Procedures unit. Brown was back on his feet two hours after the procedure, and was back home the following day.
“The new surgery room in the renovated Day Procedures unit gives us a lot of flexibility to offer this service,” says Dr. Low.
“We can help a lot of people and that’s exciting. It’s great that we are able to devote resources to offer this service for people in the community.”
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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