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 Cardiology
at TBRHSC is delivered primarily via a 36-bed in-patient
unit providing care to patients requiring care for a
wide range of medical conditions. This unit specifically
provides for patients who have experienced a cardiac
event requiring further care during the recovery period
and perhaps diagnostic investigations. Care is provided
for patients undergoing diagnostic procedures such as
Cardiac Catheterization. Patients waiting for services
offered at provincial referral centres such as Cardiac
Interventional and Surgical services are also cared
for under this service. The unit also has the capability
of providing ambulatory cardiac monitoring through the
use of telemetry services.
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Items that you will need during your hospital stay may consist
of the following: housecoat and slippers, toothbrush and paste,
hairbrush and/or comb, shampoo and soap, denture care and
shaving products as desired.
Valuables are to be sent home whenever possible, or placed
in the Business Office safekeeping service.
You are welcome to wear your own clothes as your condition
allows. For patients who are having their heart monitored
(Telemetry) you will be asked to wear a special gown to hold
the monitoring pack in place.
On admission, you will be asked to complete a patient history
form, which may include information about any community services
that you have been receiving. As well, we will ask that you
bring in your home medications to review what your doctor
had previously prescribed for you. These medications will
be returned to you, so that your family may take them home.
You should only take those medications given to you by your
nurse.
The nurses on the Cardiology service work a combination of
8 hour and 12 hour shifts. Shift change reports occur at 7:30
a.m., 3:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. During the day shift
the nurse will be caring for 5 patients. On evening shift
the nurse will care for 6 patients and on nights they will
care for up to 10 patients. Your nurse is assigned patients
based on the location of their room.
Your nurse will be involved in the planning of all aspects
of your care with you and your family, and would be happy
to answer your questions.
We ask that you choose one member of your family to act as
a spokesperson when calling the hospital for information or
when talking with the staff. Information will be given to
your immediate family members only, with your consent. If
you wish to maintain telephone contact with your family, you
will be required to have the patient phone connected at a
charge of $2.50 per day. Long distance calls may only be placed
through the hospital switchboard (ext. 0). For medically related
information such as result of diagnostic tests, it is required
that you discuss these items with your physician.
We ask that family not call the unit in the early morning.
This is the time when nurses spend a great deal of time delivering
care to their patients. To maintain the privacy of the patients
while providing morning care, we also ask that you refrain
from visiting during this time period, unless the staff approves
alternate arrangements.
Visiting hours are from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. You
may have up to two visitors at a time. It is suggested that
you do not bring small children to the hospital because of
the potential of transmission of infectious diseases. Please
wash your hands on entering and leaving the unit using the
sanitizer mounted on the hallway walls throughout the unit.
Special infection precautions for visitors may be put in
place to limit transmission of certain infections. A coloured
"stop sign" will be posted outside of these rooms.
These stop signs indicate the precautions you should take.
If you have questions about this, ask a nurse. We appreciate
your full co-operation with these precautions to ensure safe
and quality care for our patients.
Exceptions to the visiting policy are possible by discussing
your needs with the nursing staff. Overnight visitation is
restricted to a limited patient population. Access to the
hospital is limited after hours, with clearance required by
the nursing staff through the security personnel.
Your physician may order a portable heart monitor for you.
This will consist of a small battery run pack with leads attached
to your chest wall by sticky disks that we refer to as electrodes.
You may be fully mobile on the unit and have your heart activity
monitored by our system. However, you cannot leave the boundaries
of our unit as the aerials placed in the ceiling tiles limit
reception.
Please inform the nurse if you wish to disconnect the unit
to complete your personal care at any time. The staff must
ensure that doctors' orders are in place for this type of
activity.
With any unusual findings, which could include such things
as sensing of the movement of your arms, the nursing staff
will check on you to determine your status. They will also
need to change the battery in your pack at regular intervals.
If you are hospitalized with a heart condition, your doctor
may order a referral for "Cardiac Rehab". This team
of professionals will give you information specific to your
heart condition and what to expect when you are discharged.
We also offer education and exercise programs as an outpatient
service, after discharge. Feel free to discuss these programs
with any member of our care team.
Discharge time is 11:00 a.m. It is requested that you plan
for transportation home in advance. Patients may be asked
to wait in the lounge when appropriate.
Related information with respect to the Cardiac programs
and services at TBRHSC may be found under Cardio/Respiratory
and Cardiac Education/Rehabilitation.
TBRHSC is also a member of the Cardiac Care Network of Ontario.
This organization is a partnership between professional providers,
institutions, community members, and government providing
advice based on data analysis and scientifically valid information.
Please click here for additional information about the Cardiac
Care Network of Ontario and wait times across Ontario.
Gwen Third
Manager of Cardiology and General Medicine
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
980 Oliver Road
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7B 6V4
Email: thirdg@tbh.net
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