Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Chad Klassen

Royal Inland Hospital

Four-bed coronary care unit opens at Royal Inland Hospital

Sep 30, 2019 | 5:08 PM

KAMLOOPS — Patients with serious cardiovascular illness now have access to more specialized care at Royal Inland Hospital.

The hospital officially unveiled its new ICCHA/Wish Coronary Care Unit, equipped with four beds and the latest technology to monitor and treat patients. The $1.3 million-dollar investment into the unit was jointly funded by Interior Health, the Thompson Regional Hospital District, and the RIH Foundation.

Cardiologist Dr. Kobus Steyn says a dedicated cardiac care unit has been a dream at the hospital for a few years now and an addition that will make patient care smoother.

“A lot of the things that we are doing here today theoretically can be done in the ICU (intensive care unit) and can be done in the emergency room. But it’s not a dedicated environment,” said Dr. Steyn. “Patients had to be cared for in other high-care environments or in the emergency room. That’s not designed for this purpose.”

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The four-bed unit is equipped with the latest tools cardiologists need to deal with a patient going through the first signs of cardiac arrest. The equipment provided will also able staff to monitor and treat a variety of cardiac illnesses right at home.

Heidi Coleman (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

“We have this brand-new ultrasound machine, which is point-of-care,” said CEO of the RIH Foundation Heidi Coleman. “It can be used just in this unit. When you go in the rooms, everything’s overhead. This is $450,000 worth of equipment.”

ICCHA/Wish contributed $650,000 to the $1.3 million unit, which is located on the seventh floor of the hospital. The foundation’s founder, Al Patel, was a driving force behind the unit.

“Care right here. The heart is a muscle and every second counts when you have a heart attack,” he said.

No one knows that better than Colin Lyons, who had a heart attack in January 2017. He says the new unit is a strong step in the right direction in treating cardiac patients in Kamloops.

“You’re going to have a quicker, sooner diagnosis and you actually have a place to come in the hospital that is for cardiac care patients,” he said. “Whereas before, there wasn’t a specific place for cardiac care.”

Royal Inland Hospital doesn’t know how many cardiac patients it treats on a yearly basis. Based on research, however, staff determined that four beds would be sufficient.

The new unit is another sign of improving cardiac care at RIH. At one time, a few years ago, Dr. Steyn was the lone cardiologist at the hospital. Now, there are six full-time cardiologists.

“It’s enormous. I think the big thing is, the challenges still remain. I think we’re always going to be a bit behind the eight ball with the demands out there, but the fact that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and that there’s this concrete support for the cause makes a big difference.”

The unit will be officially open to patients on Tuesday (Oct. 1). This is the first step in a series of improvements to cardiac care in the city. Some patients will still need to travel to Kelowna, which has a catheterization lab to see how one’s heart is working. However, the hope is one day Kamloops will have the capability to have its own cath lab, so patients can truly remain at home.