Heart Function Clinic Opens
- March 2007
- Français
February marked the opening of a new Heart Function Clinic at St. Catharines General Site to help patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure monitor and manage their conditions to improve their quality of life.
"The opening of the Heart Function Clinic is the next step in the evolution of the Niagara Health System's (NHS) comprehensive regional Cardiology Program," says Anne Atkinson, Vice President Patient Services, with responsibility for cardiology services. "We treat thousands of residents each year for all types of heart conditions and we are expanding and enhancing cardiac-related services in Niagara to meet the growing needs of patients in our community." In 2005-06, the NHS treated a total of 873 patients specifically for congestive heart failure.
The new clinic will serve an estimated five to eight outpatients a day who have been diagnosed with heart failure. A multi-disciplinary team of health-care practitioners work together providing care to patients in a variety of areas, including: assessment, monitoring and treatment; pharmacological management; patient and caregiver education in such areas as medication, exercise, smoking cessation and dietary education.
Scott Gibson, Nurse Practitioner, will see the majority of patients for initial and follow-up visits. "Physicians will be referring patients to the Heart Function Clinic, where they will receive follow-up care after they have a confirmed heart failure diagnosis," Scott explains. "Many of our patients will have already been in an ER or ICU for acute care for their illness. They may have had a heart attack (myocardial infarction), heart valve problems, or other damage to the heart muscle which makes it lose its ability to work as a pump. When the heart's ability to pump blood is diminished, it cannot meet the metabolic needs of the body's organs, resulting in heart failure."
This condition can be life-threatening without proper care and monitoring, but there are many ways to manage symptoms to ensure quality of life is maintained. "Our goal is to improve survival rates for our patients and allow people to maintain their independence for as long as possible," Scott says. "We will do this by reviewing and fine-tuning medications and by avoiding negative drug interactions. We will also be doing a lot of education about salt intake, which is a major factor in worsening heart failure. Diet, fluid intake, smoking, alcohol and exercise are all areas where education and changes can lead to improved outcomes."
Diagnostic and lab tests, such as blood testing, x-rays and ECGs, will be reviewed at various stages of follow-up care, to ensure the patient's treatment plan is working. "We're looking at a focused model of care that allows our patients to be monitored in the clinic frequently, rather than ending up in an emergency department with shortness of breath, chest pain and fluid retention," Scott says.
How often will patients come to the Heart Function Clinic? That varies based on the individual patient's condition. "Some we will see every week while others will come in every few months for ongoing review and assessment," says Scott.
"The Heart Function Clinic will provide patients with congestive heart failure an individualized plan of care so they are able to manage their condition," says Dr. Sven Pallie, a St. Catharines-based cardiologist and Medical Director of the Heart Function Clinic. "Through ongoing assessment, monitoring and treatment, the quality of life and functional capacity of these patients can be enhanced, and their readmissions to hospital can be reduced so they may remain in their homes and in their communities."
Although the Heart Function Clinic will only be available in St. Catharines initially, the goal is to establish similar programs at other NHS sites. Services offered under the Cardiology Program include cardiac diagnostics, pacemaker and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patient care. In November 2006, the NHS expanded pacemaker insertions to Welland Hospital Site, in addition to St. Catharines General and Greater Niagara General Site. Next month, an integrated regional Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Program will begin seeing patients.
For more information on the Heart Function Clinic, contact Scott Gibson, Nurse Practitioner at 905-378-4647 ext. 46501 or Cathy Lanteigne, Manager at ext. 63295.