CARDIAC SURGERY
WHEN EMILY ARRIVED AT THE Emergency Department at Victoria General Hospital, she knew something was gravely wrong. Her chest hurt, she was disoriented, and a deep sense of uneasiness was quickly overwhelming her. Emily, 27, didn’t know that she was dying: a massive tear in her heart’s aortic valve was causing her chest cavity to fill with blood and her cardiovascular system was shutting down. Within an hour of arriving at Victoria General, Emily was rushed to Royal Jubilee Hospital, the cardiac referral centre for Vancouver Island, and prepped for emergency openheart surgery. Dr. Lynn Fedoruk, Division Chief of Cardiac Surgery for Island Health, wasted no time in performing the complex operation that saved her life. Ten years ago, Emily would not have survived. But advances in technology and equipment meant her life could be saved and she could get the help she needed to live a healthy, long life. “Cardiac technology and equipment have improved drastically over the past decade, allowing more lives to be saved and overall outcomes to improve dramatically. Today we can operate on people who just 10 years ago we had to turn away,” says Dr. Fedoruk. “For example, operating on patients who are 80+ years old is now routine, whereas in the past it simply wasn’t possible.” Dr. Fedoruk explains how advances in equipment are part of a bigger picture where everything from new equipment, improved imaging technology and better post-op care all contribute to higher survival rates. “When patient outcomes are improved by just 2% or 3%, the impact is massive. It may not seem so at first glance, but if you consider that we may operate on 700 cases a year, that means that up to 21 more lives will be saved.” This campaign is funding a critical-care transport system with a heart-lung bypass system and a new valve retractor for the cardiac team. The equipment will better outcomes for cardiac patients on Vancouver Island. Cardiac Surgery Equipment: $57,200 victoriahf.ca/cardiacsurgery