COLUMNS

Vaccination, trust in science

and patience is the only way out of this pandemic

By Linda Silas

ACOVID-free future is within our reach – a future where it’s safe to hug again and where our smiles no longer need to be hidden behind a mask. To get there, we will need a robust vaccination drive. We will need Canadians to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated. But we will also need to be patient. Immunizing the country won’t happen overnight. It will be an incremental process informed by science and one that seeks to immediately stem the loss of life.

Earlier this month, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions encouraged all health care workers, all essential workers and the general public to receive the vaccine when they become eligible. We also urged governments across Canada to speed up the rollout of the vaccine, especially to those most likely to experience severe illness, such as seniors, Indigenous people and racialized people – all of whom have been shown to be most at risk of infection.

Nurses have also signaled that they are ready and willing to step up and help the government with the vaccine rollout by joining health care teams at vaccination clinics across Canada. While the news of some delays in delivery of the Pfizer vaccine may give us pause, governments must strive to speed up the immunization and rapidly increase the number of clinics where the vaccine is available. This is how we will contain this virus and counter its spread.

What’s also been lacking in Canada’s vaccine delivery program is evidence-based information. Within this vacuum, misinformation, vaccine myths and mistrust have thrived. Sadly, many Canadians are hesitant to get vaccinated, particularly among marginalized communities who, we recognize, have all too often experienced negative interactions with the medical community.

As nurses, we believe that any risk posed by the vaccine is far outweighed by the benefits in being protected from COVID-19.

As with any other medical treatment, informed consent is required. It’s our job, as health professionals, to provide facts – and yes, empathy – when patients express concerns about being vaccinated. Everyone who gets the vaccine must understand the benefits of immunization, as well as any potential risks. All Canadians should be empowered to make an informed decision.

Some individuals have expressed concerns about the record turnaround time for these vaccines. Producing multiple vaccines in less than a year was the result of a momentousw global effort, harnessing the ingenuity of a scientific community united in a common objective. Large-scale trials on the efficacy of vaccines involved tens of thousands of participants, including many from diverse backgrounds. The trials resulted in high rates of protection with few or no reported serious adverse events. Despite the compressed timelines, no shortcuts were taken: the same standards were applied to these vaccines as for any other vaccines that have been developed. In Canada, we know the approval process by Health Canada is safe and effective; their assessment of scientific and clinical evidence is done independently and is known to be stringent. We also know that historically, immunization programs have saved countless lives worldwide. The COVID-19 vaccines approved thus far have the potential to provide much-needed protection against the continued spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus but this will only happen if sufficient numbers choose to be vaccinated. As Canada’s nurses, we want to encourage all those living in Canada to receive the vaccine as soon as they are able. Together, we can contain this virus, end the pandemic and take part in Canada’s post-pandemic recovery. ■ H

Linda Silas is a nurse and President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, representing nearly 200,000 nurses and student nurses across the country.

UPCOMING DEADLINES

APRIL 2021 ISSUE

EDITORIAL: March 15 ADVERTISING: Display – March 19 | Careers – March 23 Monthly Focus: Healthcare Transformation/eHealth and EHR/ Mobile Health: Programs and initiatives that are transforming care and contributing to an effective, accountable and sustainable system including virtual care. Innovations in electronic/digital healthcare, including mHealth and the Electronic Health Record (EHR). + ANNUAL E-HEALTH SUPPLEMENT

MAY 2021 ISSUE

EDITORIAL: April 9 ADVERTISING: Display – April 23 | Careers – April 27 Monthly Focus: Surgical Procedures/Pain Management/ Palliative Care/Oncology: Non-invasive surgery, plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery and new surgical techniques including organ donation and transplantation procedures. New approaches to pain management and palliative care delivery. Approaches to cancer diagnosis and treatment. + NATIONAL NURSING WEEK SUPPLEMENT

610 Applewood Crescent, Suite 401 Vaughan Ontario L4K 0E3 TEL. 905.532.2600|FAX 1.888.546.6189 www.hospitalnews.com

Editor Kristie Jones

editor@hospitalnews.com Advertising Representatives Denise Hodgson

denise@hospitalnews.com Publisher Stefan Dreesen

stefan@hospitalnews.com Accounting Inquiries accountingteam@mediaclassified.ca

Circulation Inquiries info@hospitalnews.com

Director of Print Media Lauren Reid-Sachs

Senior Graphic Designer Johannah Lorenzo

ADVISORY BOARD

Barb Mildon,

RN, PHD, CHE VP Professional Practice & Research & CNE, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences Helen Reilly,

Publicist Health-Care Communications Jane Adams,

President Brainstorm Communications & Creations Bobbi Greenberg,

Health care communications Sarah Quadri Magnotta,

Health care communications Dr. Cory Ross,

B.A., MS.C., DC, CSM (OXON), MBA, CHE Vice President, Academic George Brown College, Toronto, ON

ASSOCIATE PARTNERS:

Hospital News is published for hospital health-care professionals, patients, visitors and students. It is available free of charge from distribution racks in hospitals in Ontario. Bulk subscriptions are available for hospitals outside Ontario. The statements, opinions and viewpoints made or expressed by the writers do not necessarily represent the opinions and views of Hospital News, or the publishers. Hospital News and Members of the Advisory Board assume no responsibility or liability for claims, statements, opinions or views, written or reported by its contributing writers, including product or service information that is advertised. Changes of address, notices, subscriptions orders and undeliverable address notifications. Subscription rate in Canada for single copies is $29.40 per year. Send enquiries to: subscriptions@ hospitalnews.com Canadian Publications mail sales product agreement number 42578518.

NEWS World first: Minimally invasive mitral valve repair ring offers option for inoperable patients

By Katherine Nazimek

In a first-in-human procedure, a team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre implanted a specialized mitral valve repair ring through a catheter, giving hope to patients who otherwise would be out of treatment options.

Mitral regurgitation is a common heart disease as people age. When the valve no longer closes properly, blood flows backwards into the upper heart chamber and patients find themselves out of breath during normal activities. If left untreated, severe mitral regurgitation can cause heart failure and serious heart rhythm problems or arrhythmias.

Open heart surgery has been the standard treatment for mitral regurgitation and involves stopping the heart and keeping it pumping on a machine. For patients who are older or have other medical complications, the surgery can be risky and has a recovery time of one to three months.

A minimally invasive procedure using a MitraClip is an option for patients with severe symptoms who may be too at risk for openheart surgery, but not everyone is a candidate.

“There are only one or two devices worldwide that do this type of mitral valve repair minimally invasively, and none are readily available in North America,” says Dr. Andrew Czarnecki, an interventional cardiologist who performed the procedure with Dr. Eric Cohen, interventional cardiologist and Dr. Gideon Cohen, cardiac surgeon of Sunnybrook’s Schulich Heart Program. “The only approved device available is the MitraClip, but based on anatomic challenges, the patient was not a candidate.”

The ability to use various medical devices to repair valves, such as the MitraClip and TAVI depend on a variety of factors, but most notably they need to fit the anatomy of the patient’s heart.

The AMEND™ annuplasty ring can be used for inoperable or highrisk surgical patients to provide treatment for acute mitral regurgitation. During the procedure, a catheter is inserted into the patient’s groin and travels up into the mitral valve. The ring is fed through this catheter, where it finally grasps and tightens around the valve, effectively preventing blood from leaking. The ring remains in place while the catheter is removed, with the entire procedure taking approximately two hours, and is performed under general anesthesia without the use of a heart-lung machine, and without opening the chest.

“While the ring alone may be enough for some patients, it also adjusts the anatomy of the valve to allow for a more conventional MitraClip repair that would otherwise be infeasible,” says Dr. Eric Cohen.

“This unique technology provides us yet another important tool with which to treat patients previously deemed inoperable,” adds Dr. Gideon Cohen. “We are pleased to have been able to offer this procedure to a patient who had no other surgical or device options.”

The AMEND device is limited to investigational use and is not commercially available. It was performed at Sunnybrook with permission from the Health Canada Special Access Program. ■ H

Photo credit: Kevin Van Paassen/Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre From left: Dr. Eric Cohen, interventional cardiologist; Dr. Gideon Cohen, cardiac surgeon and head of cardiac surgery; Dr. Andrew Czarnecki, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the transcatheter mitral valve program at Sunnybrook’s Schulich Heart Centre perform a catheterbased mitral valve repair procedure

Katherine Nazimek is a communications advisor at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

BASEMENT FINISHING HOME REMODELLING

TO ALL OF YOU ON THE FRONTLINE A HUGE THANK YOU! 10% DISCOUNT

Off ered throughout 2021* capablegroupinc.ca 905.889.0025

support@capablegroupinc.ca