Upgraded O.R. suites enable patients to
'Get Well Soon'
Monday, April 23, 2007
 Today,
the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation launched
the ‘Get Well Soon’ campaign in support of innovative
upgrades to four operating suites at TBRHSC.
The introduction of leading edge surgical technology and
equipment will dramatically and positively impact patient
care standards at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
(TBRHSC). The Centre’s surgical team, along with Dr.
Gordon Porter, Chief of Staff and Vice President, Medical
and Academic Affairs, is urging the community to support this
initative to make upgrades to existing operating suites possible.
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“High-tech equipment enhances our capacity
to perform minimally invasive surgeries,” Porter
explains. “This surgical technique provides multiple
benefits to patients and physicians.” |
Minimally invasive surgeries require only tiny incisions,
resulting in less trauma to the patient’s muscle tissue.
Slender scopes with miniature lights and cameras are inserted
into the incisions, allowing the surgeon to see inside the
body. The images captured by the camera are displayed on large
monitors, which the surgeon views as s/he performs the operation
with leading edge equipment. Patients benefit from a quicker
recovery, less pain and scarring and lower risk of infection
than with traditional surgical procedures. Each year, TBRHSC
performs surgery on thousands of patients of all ages and
with a wide variety of conditions.
 The
direct advantages of minimally invasive surgeries to patients
are astounding. The impact on patient care at TBRHSC as a
whole is positively staggering. The very technology that makes
the technique possible also enhances the Centre’s capacity
as an academic teaching centre, increases support to regional
physicians and boosts the Centre’s ability to recruit
and retain physicians.
Advanced technology links the miniature cameras with telecommunications
equipment, allowing surgical procedures to be simultaneously
viewed by physicians off-site. While performing surgeries
in their communities, regional physicians will be able to
consult specialists at TBRHSC. Regional physicians will also
have access to training and credentialing without travel.
Students of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and other
medical schools will turn to TBRHSC for immediate access to
state-of-the-art surgical procedures and equipment. This level
of support serves ongoing efforts to recruit and retain physicians,
who seek specialized training and access to advanced equipment.
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“A progressive Health Sciences Centre, committed
to facilitating the delivery of the highest standards
of patient care is attractive to physicians,”
says Dr. Gabriel Mapeso, general surgeon and president
of the medical staff at TBRHSC. Dr. Mapeso is a laparoscopic
surgeon and an active advocate of minimally invasive
surgeries because of the advantages they provide. “Our
Health Sciences Centre will be a leading edge educator
of physicians at a local, regional and international
level,” he adds. |
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Such progress comes with a price tag. $1.3 million
is required to purchase the necessary telecommunications
and specialized equipment necessary to upgrade four
operating suites at TBRHSC. “The ultimate goal
is to provide surgical patients with the best possible
care with the least impact on their daily lives,”
says Georgie Hari, President & CEO of the Thunder
Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. “It is
very likely that each of us knows someone who will require
surgery in the future. This campaign will help them
to get well soon,” says Hari. The community is
encouraged to donate to the campaign by contacting the
Foundation office at 807-684-7107 or visit the Foundation’s
website at www.tbrhsf.net. |
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