Royal Columbian Hospital hosts education conference for physicians from China
Cardiac physician delegates from China gather with the RCH interventional cardiology team led by Dr. Gerald Simkus (front row, centre) outside of the newly expanded UBC Clinical Academic Campus at RCH.
New Westminster, B.C. – July 3, 2008 – A team of physicians from China learned more about how severe heart attacks are treated using a minimally invasive heart procedure at a conference held at Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH), from June 23 to 25. The conference was sponsored by cardiology product supplier, Cordis®.
The group of 17 physicians from China were seeking the expertise of the hospital’s interventional cardiology team, as RCH treats the highest volume of severe heart attack, or ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), patients in BC. RCH is the only hospital in BC to provide around-the-clock access to lifesaving coronary angioplasty, a procedure that uses a balloon-tipped catheter and stents (small, expandable tubes) to unclog blocked arteries and restore blood flow to the heart.
Dr. Lefeng Wang, Deputy Director of the Heart Centre at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital & Cardiovascular Institute, one of the largest hospitals in China, says that although the number of coronary angioplasties performed at his hospital is comparable to that of RCH, there is a significant difference in technology level and speed-to-treatment between the two hospitals.
“[RCH] is equipped with leading-edge medical technology, but the speed of updating equipment is slower in China,” says Wang. “Also, in China, the patient must pay before the procedure takes place, even with health insurance, as often only half the cost is covered.”
When a heart attack patient arrives at a hospital in China, Wang explains, physicians must first consult with the family so they can determine if they can afford the treatment; negotiate the price that can be paid; then provide payment before treatment can commence.
This delay in treatment can cause irreversible damage to the patient’s heart muscle, decreasing their chance of survival, says RCH Cardiac Services department head Dr. Gerald Simkus.
“The longer an artery is blocked off, the more heart muscle damage that is sustained,” says Simkus, who leads one of Canada’s busiest interventional cardiology programs at RCH. “At RCH, we start working to reopen a patient’s blocked arteries with angioplasties within 30 minutes of their arrival. Since 2004, when we started doing these procedures at RCH, we’ve seen the mortality rates cut in half in the Fraser Health region.”
Wang says that he is hopeful that the outcome of heart attack victims will soon start to improve, through the recent removal of treatment barriers. “I’m starting to see improvements in the system with more payment flexibility at the hospital, and better government support through the formation of a social medical cabinet system.”
At RCH, the combination of leading edge medical technology with the specialized skills of the interventional cardiology team is so far advanced that 80 per cent of patients are diagnosed and treated without needing open-heart surgery. Thanks to generous donor support through the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation’s Heart to Heart Campaign, $2 million was raised last year to build on government funding to replace worn and outdated equipment and purchase additional equipment in the interventional cardiology lab to help RCH meet increasing patient demand.
About Royal Columbian Hospital
RCH is one of 12 hospitals under the umbrella of the Fraser Health Authority. It is a regional referral hospital for trauma, critical care, cardiac, maternity, newborn intensive care and neurosciences for 1.5 million people from Burnaby to Boston Bar. RCH is also a UBC teaching hospital with a newly expanded Clinical Academic Campus and a community hospital serving New Westminster residents.
About Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation
Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation is an independent charitable organization that raises millions of dollars every year to build on government support to fund equipment needs, priority projects, education and research at RCH. For more information about Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, please visit rchfoundation.com
About Cordis Corporation
Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, is a worldwide leader in developing and manufacturing interventional vascular technology. Through the company’s innovation, research and development, physicians worldwide are better able to treat millions of patients who suffer from vascular disease. In Canada, Cordis products are marketed and distributed by Johnson & Johnson Medical Products, a division of Johnson & Johnson, Inc.
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