Life-saving heart lab to be included in Cape Breton hospital redevelopment
A lab for a heart procedure currently only available in Halifax will be part of a new expansion at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney, N.S., said Nova Scotia’s health and wellness minister Friday.
The province says a cardiac catheterization lab will be built in a new clinical services building that is part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality Health Care Redevelopment project.
In cardiac catheterizations, a thin, flexible tube is guided through a blood vessel to the heart to diagnose or treat conditions like clogged arteries and to prevent heart attacks.
Dr. Paul MacDonald, chief of cardiology in Nova Scotia Health’s Eastern Zone, says the lab is the biggest health care initiative announced for Cape Breton since the opening of a cancer centre in 1998.
“It will improve patient outcomes, reduce wait times for cardiac services and free up hospital beds in Cape Breton and across the province. This is a major step forward for health care in Cape Breton and for all Nova Scotians,” said MacDonald in a news release.
According to the province, cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of illness and death in Cape Breton.
The hospital says it treats more than 400 patients for heart attacks and more than 500 patients for congestive heart failure every year.
Of the Cape Bretoners who require cardiac catheterization each year, the province says 300 are transported to Halifax by emergency air or ground ambulance.
"This cardiac cath lab will provide life-saving care in Cape Breton, and also make life so much easier for patients, who will be able to have their procedure done in less time than it takes them to get to the causeway," said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson, in the release.
The province says construction on the clinical services building is expected to start in 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.