NEWS
UHN first hospital in Canada offering new treatment to replace diseased heart valve HN is the first hospital in Canada to offer a new treatment for percutaneous pulmonary heart valve replacement, providing more minimally invasive options for pulmonary valve replacement than anywhere else in the country. North America’s first percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement was performed at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in 2006 by Dr. Eric Horlick, interventional cardiologist and Peter Munk Chair in Structural Heart Disease at UHN, and Dr. Lee Benson, interventional cardiologist at SickKids. The first adult percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement was performed at UHN’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre the same year. “It was a game-changer for adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients,” remembers Dr. Horlick. “We were able to help these patients – most of them in their 20s and 30s – avoid open-heart surgery.” Individuals who undergo multiple sternotomies face increased risk during and after surgery. Patients born with congenital heart disease typically undergo open-heart surgery as children and will likely need another surgical intervention in early adulthood. Patients with Tetralogy of Fallot – a congenital heart defect which occurs when a baby’s heart forms incorrectly in utero – are almost certain to require multiple heart valve repairs or replacements in their lifetime. Since 2006, percutaneous pulmonary valve replacements have become commonplace at specialized centres such as the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. But not all ACHD patients are anatomically suitable. Up until recently, only 20 per cent of this population could undergo percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement.
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‘A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT’ Today, Dr. Horlick and his team add another intervention to their arsenal, increasing suitability in the patient population to 80 per cent. www.hospitalnews.com
“Open-heart surgery in your 30s means you may not be able to work for three or four months,” says Dr. Horlick. “If you’re in your 20s, you could lose a semester or a year in school. That’s a huge deal. “With this procedure, patients have an average stay of one day, and they
leave with a fully competent valve. That’s a remarkable achievement.” Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Dr. Horlick, Dr. Lee, and Dr. Mark Osten, Toronto General Hospital is home to the first and largest ACHD program in the world. The program provides care to nearly 10,000 patients
and is a global hub for ACHD research and education. With ACHD patients living longer than ever before, finding ways to ease disease burden and improve quality of life is at the forefront of Dr. Horlick’s mind. “We follow these patients for life,” he says. “We see what they go through, and when we’re able to provide a solution that we didn’t have months, or even a year ago, it’s incredibly rewarding.” Sept. 11 to 17 was Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week, an international campaign aimed at tackling what’s being called the next cardiac epidemic. More than one million Canadians are affected by heart valve disease, yet public awareness of the disease is shockingly low. Heart Valve Voice Canada and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society are joining forces to increase awareness and improve early detection by educating Canadians on heart valve disease and the H importance of stethoscope checks. ■
New service for patients with breast cancer By Sheila Olley nyone who has battled cancer knows the physical and emotional impact of the disease is life changing. For women who undergo mastectomy as part of their treatment for breast cancer, there is an added psychological toll because of the dramatic change in the look and feel of their bodies. Regaining their sense of wholeness is an important aspect of the recovery process, and reconstructive surgery is an option that can help improve confidence and quality of life for patients. Breast cancer surgery is performed at Halton Healthcare’s Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and Milton District Hospital sites. Breast reconstruction surgery is also offered to patients, when appropriate, and approximately 460 breast cancer surgery procedures with and without reconstruction are performed each year at Halton Healthcare. This year, the hospital became the first in the region to also offer patients
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areola tattooing as a physician funded service. This is an innovative technique that uses pigment to simulate the physical dimension and depth of an areola after breast reconstruction. To support women in their cancer journey, an impressive team of physicians created the website – www. restoremeabc.com – as a trustworthy resource for women who have battled breast cancer to find reputable information about breast reconstruction and survivorship. The team is based at the Oakville site and includes nurses as well as Dr. Lauren Willoughby and Dr. Christine Nicholas, Plastic Surgeons who specialize in breast reconstruction, Dr Nicole Callan, General Surgeon with a specialty in breast surgery, and Dr. Alexandra Ginty, Family Physician and Surgical Assistant. Dr. Ginty is the Regional Primary Care Lead, Cancer Screening, for the Mississauga Halton Central West Regional Cancer Program. She is also a breast cancer survivor and an artist.
She recognized an opportunity to further support survivors with restorative areola tattooing, a highly specialized field that requires about 100 hours of training, which Dr. Ginty completed in 2023. While breast reconstruction post-mastectomy is covered by OHIP, areola tattooing is only covered if performed by a physician. Dr. Ginty was the first physician in the region to become certified, and the Restore-Me Clinic at Halton Healthcare is the first to offer this option as a physicianfunded service. “A lot of people know about surgery and chemo, but they don’t put breast reconstruction into the equation,” Dr. Ginty says. “Areola tattooing is not decorative, it’s the end of the restorative phase. Bringing this into the hospital as a funded service is about equity and telling people we feel this is part of the process of healing…the psychological part.” Continued on page 8 OCTOBER 2023 HOSPITAL NEWS 5
