New advanced heart rhythm program opens at Kelowna General Hospital

When Penticton resident Betty Lou Thomas woke up in her local hospital’s intensive care unit, she had no memory of what had happened. The last thing she remembered was sitting in a waiting room at her gym on a fall November day. That is when she suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed without warning. Twenty-four hours later, she was transferred to the cardiac care unit at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH).

Luckily for Betty, just a few days earlier the new Marshall Eliuk Cardiac Interventional and Advanced Heart Rhythm Program had opened at KGH, meaning she did not have to travel any farther for care. The advanced heart rhythm program is a partnership between Interior Health, Cardiac Services BC and the KGH Foundation, which raised $7 million for the program.

After a series of tests, Betty had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) surgically inserted in her chest in the newly completed KGH Electrophysiology Lab, which opened as part of the advanced heart rhythm program. The ICD is designed to shock her heart back into normal rhythm if necessary. The day after the procedure, she was back home in Penticton, resting and recovering.

“Honestly, it was a phenomenal experience,” said Thomas. “Even though it was a scary procedure and scary what happened, I felt very comfortable. Everyone was so knowledgeable. We are lucky to have this in Kelowna. Now, for everyone who needs this in the Interior, it’s so close, rather than us going to Victoria.”

“Bringing services closer to residents is a key priority for our government and the opening of the new heart rhythm program at Kelowna General Hospital will benefit patients in all parts of Interior Health. I’d like to thank everyone involved for their dedication and hard work, and the community for their tremendous support with their donations to the KGH Foundation,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Opening the Electrophysiology Lab at KGH allowed Interior Health to add the advanced heart rhythm program to other specialty cardiac services at the hospital, including medical cardiology and cardiac surgery inpatient units, a coronary care unit, a cardiac surgery intensive care unit, cardiac imaging and an intervention lab. Patients from across the Interior region who need higher-level cardiac care can now access the full range of services in Kelowna.

As well, services are available at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, where there is a coronary care unit, medical cardiology inpatient unit, and cardiac outpatient clinics. In addition, internal medicine specialists provide cardiac care in Cranbrook, Vernon, Salmon Arm, Penticton and Trail.

“Congratulations to everyone involved in this effort to enhance cardiac services for residents of Interior Health,” said IH Board Chair Doug Cochrane. “The partnership between Interior Health, Cardiac Services BC and the KGH Foundation demonstrates how collaboration can be the basis of enhancing patient care. This new program will benefit many people in our region.”

Community support for the program was critical and the KGH Foundation’s call to raise money for advanced heart rhythm services struck a chord with donors. In less than a year, the foundation raised $7 million for the needed equipment in the Electrophysiology (EP) Lab.

“We are grateful to be the bridge between such an incredibly generous community and our regional partners in health care,” says Doug Rankmore, CEO of the KGH Foundation. “The addition of electrophysiology and advanced heart rhythm services at KGH as part of Interior Health’s cardiac program are significant advancements that we can all celebrate.”

Watch a KGH Foundation video on the new KGH EP lab here.

Quick facts:

· The new KGH EP lab is named after Marshall Eliuk, an Edmonton and Peace River businessperson and philanthropist, who donated the final $1.4 million to the KGH Foundation’s fundraising campaign, his first donation to KGH.

· Over $1 million was raised from community donations during the KGH Foundation’s annual Day of Giving, which will take place again in the spring of this year. For more information, and to donate to the KGH Foundation, you can find them online at kghfoundation.com or on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

· KGH is now the fifth adult EP program in the province, alongside Royal Jubilee Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital and Royal Columbian Hospital. This additional expertise and lab capacity will enhance service delivery throughout the province and improve B.C.’s capacity to provide specialized services to patients province-wide. Learn more about province-wide cardiovascular care and services at www.cardiacbc.ca