Media Release
Cardiac care in Manitoba cited as among the best in the country according to CIHI report
Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) today welcomed the results of a report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) on cardiac care across the country.
The WRHA's Cardiac Centre at St. Boniface Hospital is one of the highest volume cardiac centres in the country and scored among the best in the country for all performance indicators ‐ with particular success for indicators related to cardiac surgery results.
"Today's CIHI report reinforces the quality care Manitobans receive, and will continue to receive at St. Boniface Hospital," said Kelvin Goertzen, Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living. “Manitobans should be proud of the success of the cardiac program and its ever-improving rates as they demonstrate both high‐quality patient care and a patient‐centred experience for patients."
The CIHI report reviews mortality and readmission rates following a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and aortic valve replacement (AVR) with pan‐Canadian results available online.
WRHA rates were better than the national average for all indicators and were the best in Canada for CABG as well as for AVR.
CIHI’s report indicates the chosen categories represent "…high quality and meaningful information to the Canadian cardiac care community." The information is collected and reported on in an effort to inform quality improvement efforts of care providers across the country.
"The WRHA has some of the best rates in the country despite the complexity of the patients we see," said Dr. Ross Feldman, medical director of the Cardiac Sciences Program of the WRHA. "We perform approximately five percent of all PCI procedures in Canada and have the second most inclusive criteria for that procedure in the country."
St. Boniface Hospital has reported among the lowest mortality rates for CABG and AVR procedures in the country over the last number of years, added Feldman. Manitoba’s Cardiac Sciences Program also has one of the lowest rates of readmission for those procedures.
"This progress highlights the efforts of the entire team involved in cardiac care, from the care and referrals from the cardiologists, pre‐operative assessments with nurses and nurse practitioners, to perioperative care from cardiac anesthesiology and clinical teams during surgery and the multiple disciplines in the intensive care unit and post‐operative ward involved in recovery and preparation for discharge," said Dr. Rakesh Arora, director of the surgical section of the Cardiac Sciences Program.
"While our re‐hospitalization rates for these procedures remain low, we continue to strive for further improvements in the transition process of our patients as they return home to community. Our goal is to have our patients not only survive following cardiac surgery, but thrive."
"We should be proud of these results which reflect the benefits achieved by the long‐term investment in the Cardiac Centre at St. Boniface Hospital, which has resulted in the recruitment and retention of among the best cardiac surgeons, cardiac anesthesiologists and cardiologists all working together to improve the cardiac health of Manitobans", said Dr. Colette Seifer, director of the cardiology section of the Cardiac Sciences Program.