Breathing life into research

Breath ing life into research

As a critical care physician at Royal Columbian Hospital as well as being the regional medical director and Department Head of critical care in Fraser Health, Dr. Steve Reynolds is focused on helping patients who are seriously ill or injured recover and return home to their loved ones. He’s spent years researching how to get patients off mechanical ventilators sooner. With help from donors, Dr. Reynolds has been awarded the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation Professorship in Critical Care at Simon Fraser University, giving his research efforts increased support.

Foundation: What is the importance for a hospital like ours to get involved in research? Dr. Reynolds: The most important thing for a patient is the quality of care that’s provided. Research drives adherence to, and knowledge of, the cutting edge. To have a hospital that’s directly engaged in research, the people doing it are driven to know all there is to know about their area and provide absolute excellence in care.

Foundation: What is your research focus? Dr. Reynolds: My interest is around the diaphragm, which is the most important muscle for breathing. Many of my patients are on mechanical ventilation. Because they have been asleep in a coma, their muscles get weaker. Like any other muscle, if you don’t use it, your diaphragm gets weaker. If your diaphragm and breathing muscles get weaker, it’s tough to breathe independently of the machine.

Foundation: You are co-inventor of a device called the Lungpacer to help patients maintain diaphragm strength. How does this apply to the research? Dr. Reynolds: What I am most interested in is how to strengthen the muscles that help you breathe and make sure you can get off the breathing machine faster. We already have tested the device in people and know that it is safe to put in. Now it’s testing if it works over the long term. The thing about research in general is that it requires you to be very careful and thorough in what you do, and the actual process of research takes an immensely long time.

Foundation: What does the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation Professorship in Critical Care at Simon Fraser University allow you to do? Dr. Reynolds: It helps to grow the team and helps get the word out and attract others who are interested to learn about this and be involved. Hopefully, this will help get patients out of critical care faster and on the road to recovery faster.

Wesgroup is a proud supporter of the Royal Columbian Hospital and an advocate to advancing the health care facilities in BC’s fastest growing region.