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What Could Be

New hospital means new specialists, procedures
Author: Windsor Writers Group
Dec 2019
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Q. What new services would be offered that now require travel to London or the U.S.?

A. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement: Needing a heart valve replacement used to mean open-heart surgery, but now doctors are doing it in a minimally invasive way. A new heart valve procedure known as TAVR involves inserting an artificial aortic valve through an artery in the neck, leg or between the ribs, and placing it inside the patient’s diseased heart valve while the heart is still beating.  Advanced arrhythmia treatments: Procedures for common arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AFib) and implantable devices beyond pacemakers, such as automated implantable cardioverter defibrillators (AICDs). This would require a new cath lab dedicated to electrophysiology, but specialists in this area are plentiful and could be recruited with the right setup. Cardiac bypass: A larger cardiac care unit capable of doing bypasses, seen by Windsor Regional as an evolution of the coronary care unit coming five years after the new hospital opens.

 Q. What is acute care?

A. Trauma/emergencies, cardiac, cancer, dialysis, critical care, neurosurgery, neonatal intensive care, obstetrics, pediatric, inpatient medical and surgical units, acute specialist clinics.

Q. Where else will care be offered?

A. Mental health, addiction and rehabilitation will be at Hotel-Dieu Grace  Healthcare on Prince Road.

Q. What are some highlights of plans for the acute-care facility?

A. 1.6-million-square-foot, 10-storey, hospital with room for 700 beds on a 60-acre property at the southeast corner of County Road 42 and Concession 9. 

Q. How will the new building be a healthier environment?

A. 80 per cent single-patient rooms for improved comfort, privacy and infection control. Private bathroom for each patient. All acute-care services under one roof, so fewer transports – and therefore less exposure to infections. 

Q. How will this impact talent recruitment?

A. Increased opportunities to work with the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Windsor program, and conduct research and clinical trials. Modern infrastructure strengthens recruitment, retention of physicians, specialists and support staff. 

Q. What about downtown? 

A. The Windsor-Essex Hospital System plan calls for an “Urgent Care/Satellite Emergency Facility,” to replace the emergency department at the Ouellette campus once the mega-hospital is built. Hospital officials say that while the site would not be open 24 hours unless there is demand, it would be more than a typical urgent care clinic, because it would be a state-of-the-art facility staffed by emergency room doctors and nurses, trained to handle traumas and stabilize patients.  The difference between the “satellite” facility and an actual emergency department is that there are no beds for admitting people into the facility, according to Windsor Regional. People who need to be hospitalized would be transported to the acute-care facility. They compare the future site to an urgentcare centre at Peel Memorial hospital, and have posted a video explaining how things work there on the Windsor Regional website at: windsorhospitalsblog.org