Heart rhythm repairs

New Westminster, B.C. – {July 19, 2019} – Donor generosity is giving Royal Columbian Hospital's electrophysiology team exceptional images of the heart.

An EPIQ 7 ultrasound is being used in the hospital's Multipurpose Interventional Suite during heart ablation procedures to treat atrial fibrillation. Donor contributions that led to the equipment's purchase include a $15,000 gift from Canadian Pacific Railway (CP).

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often rapid heart rate that occurs when the two upper chambers of the heart experience chaotic electrical signals. During ablation treatment, doctors thread long, thin catheters into the heart and apply heat or extreme cold. This causes tiny scars in certain parts of the heart muscle, which disrupt or eliminate the erratic electrical signals in the heart.

Previously, CP donated $120,000 to support the purchase of a rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) machine used to manage blood transfusions during cardiac surgery at Royal Columbian Hospital.

Thank you sincerely to CP for their significant investment in cardiac care – at Royal Columbian Hospital and across North America.

Since 2014, CP has helped raise over $17 million across North America for heart health through their CP Has Heart program.