Elective surgeries rescheduled due to urgent equipment replacement at Rockyview General Hospital

No impact to emergency or urgent surgeries; cancer-related patient procedures

CALGARY – Due to the need for an urgent equipment repair and upgrade in the sterile medical device and instrument reprocessing area, approximately 200 non-urgent, elective surgical procedures and 250 cystoscopy exams at the Rockyview General Hospital will be postponed and rescheduled.

All emergency and urgent surgeries will continue, as well as cancer-related procedures. Patients who have recently undergone surgery at Rockyview General Hospital (RGH) should not be concerned. This issue was identified during preventative maintenance testing.

The equipment repair and upgrading will affect some procedures originally scheduled between two time periods: Oct. 23 to Nov. 2, 2017 and Nov. 17 to Nov. 29, 2017.

“We know postponing procedures can be stressful to patients and their loved ones, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, these postponements are necessary to ensure patient safety,” says Dr. Sid Viner, Calgary Zone Medical Director. “When equipment malfunctions occur we have to take all possible measures to address the situation and lessen the impact to patients and their families.”

Surgical specialty leaders are reviewing each postponed case to ensure surgeries can be safely rescheduled. All impacted patients will be contacted as soon as possible.

These repairs will result in rescheduled appointments across all surgical departments and will be completed in two phases to ensure there is backup equipment capacity at Rockyview General Hospital. During these periods, RGH staff will work with South Health Campus to sterilize instruments for use at RGH while repairs and upgrades are implemented.

“We are working closely with impacted patients to reschedule their procedures at their earliest convenience,” says Dr. Viner. “Rockyview patients will continue to receive the care they need, when they need it, including urgent and emergency surgeries.”

Rockyview General Hospital performs 50 to 60 scheduled (elective) surgeries per day, five days a week. This equipment repair will impact approximately 50 scheduled surgeries per week. RGH also performs 10 to 20 emergency surgeries daily, seven days a week.

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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