Especially at this time, when the role of Cardiac Sciences outside of St Boniface Hospital is in question, this case report contributed by Kunal Minhas (quoted below) is a very timely reminder of the provincial impact that the Cardiac Sciences Program has had in Manitoba. The ACS Network, whose efforts are exemplified in this case, is perhaps the most visible and effective expression of the provincial scope that had been the hallmark of this Program.
“Over the weekend I did a cath on a…(patient).. who received successful fibrinolytics in the *** Nursing Station. His procedure was not out of the ordinary but what was unique about his case was he was the 1st patient at the *** Nursing Station to receive fibrinolysis.
In the past those patients and others presenting to Nursing Stations would be transferred to the nearest hospital to receive fibrinolysis or transferred to SBGH for delayed primary PCI. This would clearly lead to long delays and associated increased risk for adverse outcomes.
The main (perhaps only) reason these patients are now receiving appropriate timely care for STEMI is Dr. John Ducas’ efforts to push for this treatment option. He began talking about this at least 2 or more years ago. As is typical of John he did not give up , collaborated with the relevant parties, and made it happen because it is the right thing for these patients…….It would be nice to acknowledge John’s continued efforts on behalf of the patients of Manitoba.
I was happy when this patient told me and proud that I am a colleague of JD’s.”
Thanks Kunal for sharing this!
Sals Star of the Week: Chamiel Leviste (introduced by Alana Head)
This week’s Sal’s Star is Chamiel Leviste. Chamiel has been a nurse for 11 years and has been one of the CRNs on 5A since 2019
Visitor restrictions have been an ongoing challenge throughout the hospital and has increased the workload on all staff. It has been challenging having to deny vaccinated family members visitation due to their roommates being unvaccinated and it has been especially difficult for those staff taking the phone calls. To avoid disappointment and improve patient, family and staff satisfaction, Chamiel adopted a process from the Medicine program and helped implement using the family room for visitation. Vaccinated individuals rooming until unvaccinated individuals on 5A can now book 30 min time slots to visit safely with their loved ones in this room which undoubtedly has improved the mental wellbeing and recovery of our patients. Our patients and families have very much appreciated this alternate option for them to visit.
This is only one example of Chamiel’s commitment to her patients. She is a big advocate for patient safety and is not afraid to speak up for what is right. We are very thankful to have Chamiel as one of our leaders on 5A.
World Patient Safety Day: September 17, 2021.
In our health system, World Patient Safety Day is a day to reflect on the important work you do each and every day to keep our patients safe – from embedding safety practices, standards, and risk mitigation into your practice, to engaging patients and families in care planning and quality improvement work, to learning from leading practices and patient safety events, and making necessary improvements to your processes, procedures and practices – your contributions are invaluable.
When a patient safety event or near miss does occur, the information is reported in our patient safety event database (RL-6), investigated, and findings and recommendations are used to drive system learning and improvement, prevent reoccurrence, and make care safer for those we serve. Thank you for your commitment and effort to keep our patients safe in a highly complex system!
For additional information about World Patient Safety Day, please visit Healthcare Excellence Canada: https://www.healthcareexcellence.ca/en/what-we-do/what-we-do-together/world-patient-safety-day/.
This Week’s Faculty Publications
K Sidhu, L Han, K C I Picard, U B Tedrow, N K Lakdawala Ventricular tachycardia in cardiolaminopathy: Characteristics and considerations for device programming Heart Rhythm . 2020 Oct;17(10):1704-1710. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2020.05.023. Epub 2020 May 23.
F Landry-Hould, B Mondésert, A G Day, H J Ross, J Brouillette, B Clarke, S Zieroth, M Toma, M-C Parent, R A Fowler, J J You, A Ducharme, DECIDE-HF investigators Characteristics of Clinicians Are Associated With Their Beliefs About ICD Deactivation: Insight From the DECIDE-HF Study CJC Open . 2021 Aug 8;3(8):994-1001. doi: 10.1016/j.cjco.2021.03.006. eCollection 2021 Aug.
H D Danenberg, M Konigstein, M Golomb, D E Kandzari, P C Smits, M P Love, S Banai, M Ozgu Ozan , M Liu, G Y Perlman, G W Stone, O Ben-Yehuda Incidence and Predictors of Target Lesion Failure in Patients With Lesions in Small Vessels Undergoing PCI With Contemporary Drug-Eluting Stents: Insights From the BIONICS Study Randomized Controlled Trial Cardiovasc Revasc Med. 2021 Apr;25:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.carrev.2020.10.018. Epub 2020 Oct 28.
I hope you are staying safe and healthy.
Ross
