With the support of a $6 million donor-funded investment, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is now equipped with three of the best interventional radiology suites in the province.
On Tuesday afternoon (December 9), the PRHC Foundation hosted donors, media, and dignitaries including Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal for a celebration and tour of the hospital’s three interventional radiology suites.
The opening marks a milestone as the largest investment made so far as part of the PRHC Foundation’s $70 million Campaign for PRHC.
“I often speak about the impacts and lasting joy that philanthropy brings, and today is a perfect example of how donor support is directly changing the face of patient care in our region,” said PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway before the tour.
“Because of this community’s extraordinary generosity, PRHC now has three fully equipped interventional radiology suites. With three suites, the team now treats more patients, more complex conditions, more quickly and safely.”
The investment supported the expansion and upgrade of two 16-year-old existing suites with state-of-the-art technology, as well as the creation of a brand-new suite designed for rapid, high-demand minimally invasive procedures. It also included the expansion of the preparation and recovery area, which most hospitals don’t have, from 10 to 14 beds.
The technology in the suites allows interventional radiologists to perform minimally invasive surgeries using real-time imaging such as CT scans, fluoroscopy, or ultrasound to steer needles, guidewires, and catheters into small incisions in the skin or through blood vessels.
The process is used to find and fix issues just about anywhere in the body for a wide range of procedures including draining infections, doing a biopsy for cancer, or stopping a hemorrhage. If surgery is too high risk for a patient, interventional radiology could be a safer and faster option.
PRHC president and CEO Dr. Lynn Mikula explained that the regional hospital is one of the busiest interventional radiology centres in the province, serving more than 300,000 people across Peterborough and surrounding communities.
“These donor-funded upgrades have helped us recruit an additional interventional radiologist, increasing our team from four to five highly skilled specialists who are all leaders in their field,” said Dr. Mikula.
“They previously performed over 6,000 procedures per year and, with the increased capacity of these suites, we’re able to care for more patients, 20 to 25 on a typical day, while also reducing wait times.”
PRHC interventional radiologist Dr. Fady Abdelsayed said interventional radiology is often referred to as “the best kept secret in medicine,” because it is so critical though not as well known as other areas of patient care.
“The advanced capabilities of the suites allow us to take on more complex procedures, with minimally invasive techniques with greater safety and precision,” he said. “We can treat more patients, which will reduce wait time, and the technologies help us push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Joined by PRHC charge technologist Julie Stinson, Dr. Abdelsayed led a tour of the newest of the three interventional radiology suites. The team demonstrated the C-arm fluoroscopy machine which provides real-time images on state-of-the-art screens that guide the surgeries. Stinson also provided demonstrations of some of the features of upgraded software.
Dr. Abdelsayed explained that the suites are brighter and much bigger to accommodate more specialists in the room, are designed to allow them to work from both sides of the table, and are equipped with brand-new safety protections for the team.
“It’s touched many locations in the hospital and our volumes have been exponentially increasing,” said Dr. Abdelsayed of interventional radiology.
The interventional radiologists are on a 24/7 rotation, which allows the team to do routine and more complex procedures on weekends, in the middle of the night, and without having to transport the patient to other hospitals.
“Patients don’t have to leave their family or go through this difficult time on their own and their family doesn’t need to be inconvenienced,” Dr. Adbelsayed said.
As government funding does not support the upgrade or advancements of hospital technology, Dr. Abdelsayed said “we’re very lucky to have one of the largest interventional radiology departments in the province” thanks to donor support.
The next priority area for the hospital is introducing the region’s first state-of-the-art hybrid operating room.
The technology will revolutionize vascular care by allowing clinical teams to perform multiple open and minimally invasive operations on the same patient, on the same day, in the same room.
“It’s a more advanced level of technology to support the surgeons to deliver better care and more advanced procedures close to home instead of sending people away,” said Dr. Mikula. “It’s something that we desperately want to get going as our next innovation here at PRHC.”
