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economist sansuntribune community saturday april 16 2005 13 heakt matters cardiac prehab rehab programs determined m a healthi wal to cardiac kenadi program several months after jjhad bypass warren hall equates his heart surgery to plumbing after stress tests were conducted at southlakes regional cardiac care program in early march 2004 the 58yearold aurora employ ee at the works department was diagnosed with severely congest ed heart arteries i had a problem understated the innisfil resident three of my arteries were plugged one completely one at 85 per cent and another at 75 per cent i had to have triple bypass surgery to have three new pipes just like plumbing accordingly mr hall was scheduled for surgery prior to the operation he was enrolled in southlakes prehabilitation program the prehab program which is supported by a kinesiologist regis tered nurse social worker and registered dietitian offers emotion al support education and exercise to patients awaiting surgery this has proven to help them recover after their operation i started prehab in april in preparation for the operation mr hall said it was a relaxing situation because my family was stressed out i took different classes with the whole family and the staff informed us about what would happen we met with the sur geons and anesthesiologist and they put our minds at ease assisted by a qualified surgical team cardiac surgeon dr charles peniston performed mr halls triple bypass without a hitch following an appropriate period of convalescence mr hall was enrolled in southlakes 26week cardiac rehabilitation program which is designed to improve patients overall heart health and to assist them in making healthy lifestyle adjustments it includes a blend of exercise and education and teaches patients like mr hall how to develop healthy eating habits how to read food labels and how to ease into a fitness regime serving close to 600 patients a year the cardiac rehabilitation program is available to anyone who has experienced a cardiac event such as a heart attack heart failure angioplasty andor bypass surgery in the case of mr hall the program has already proven to be invaluable they try and get you to eventually walk three miles in 45 min utes he said i wasnt walking before it was like going up hill in fourth gear now i feel alive thanks to the surgery and the cardiac rehab program the quality of my life has improved tremendously the southlake folks in cardiac prehab and rehab and at the hospital are terrific be still my beating heart bharat datt has the most heartstopping job in medicine literally cardiac surgeons require that the target organ be perfectly still while they perform heart surgery akin to an automobile mechanic working on an engine thaf s running a beating heart presents hazards for everyone involved as a highly trained and skilled perfusionist mr datf s role is to operate the equipment that takes over the patients heart and lung functions during sur gery while the heart is stopped inspired by southlakes drive to build a world class cardiac facility in a community setting mr datt left his position at a downtown hospital during 2004 and moved with his family to newmarket to accept a job at southlake it was a big decision to leave toronto but i was hearing good things about southlakes cardiac program and the timing was right for my family to move to a smaller community if s been a good cliange both for my career and for my family confirms mr datt trained both in his native india and the michener institute in toronto mr datt and the surgical team stop the heart with the help of drugs using sophisticated equipment blood is rerout ed away from the patients body oxygenated and cleansed of carbon dioxide and other wastes before being pumped back into the patients system where the cycle starts again the patient is in clinical hibernation said mr datt basically were bypassing the heart and taking over all the heart and lung functions so the surgeon can work on the heart the heart is still for approximately 90 minutes during surgery that can last for four hours and more when the surgeons have repaired the damaged organ the heart is allowed to spring back into action either on its own or if help is required a defibrillat- ing electrical shock is applied for the heart to start beating another integral part of the cardio vascular surgical team is brenda koivula a registered nurse first assist rnfa specialist once licensed as a registered nurse with the college of nurses of ontario a nurse may apply for the first assist bharat datt perfusionist j 1 wf g t v program prerequisites include certification in perioperative or surgical nursing five years of operating room experience a spe cialized course of study and a clinical internship with a surgeon mentor that can add up to 250 hours although ms koivula did not have to change employers to become an rnfa she did require additional training that was financially supported by the regional cardiac care program i was ready for a career change and the introduction of the rnfa role at southlake definitely intrigued me i have an active family so working close to home is convenient said ms kiovula who was a clinical educator at southlake for three and a half years before enrolling in the rnfa program with the support of the cardiac program i now have everything i need to challenge me professionally in my own community the role of the three first assist nurses in southlakes cardiac program is invaluable to the surgical team their duties begin before the surgery with meeting the patient reviewing the patients history confirming the procedure answering any questions or concerns and generally endeavouring to allay anx iety during the complex surgery the rnfas assist the surgeon in exposing the heart area through the use of retractors sponging and suctioning techniques removing leg veins that are used to replace blocked sections of the coronary arteries cauterizing blood vessels and finally helping to close the chest and leg inci sions once the surgery is complete the rnfa is responsible for ensuring the safe transfer of the patient to the cardiovascular intensive care unit cvicu mr datt and ms koivula believe as do their patients that their specialties make a world of difference ifs rewarding to have a job where you can come to work and help save a life each day mr datt said the opportunity to participate in patient care from the preoperative through to the postoperative phases is gratifying ms koivula affirmed ifs a privilege to be part of a highly skilled team that is able to deliver such a pro ficient level of patient care brenda koivula rnfa herecomes k elll staff photosbill roberts husbands and bridestobe kept exhibitors busy at last weekends york region wedding show at premier ballroom in richmond hill the show included a fashion segment highlighting the latest bridal styles among the exhibitors was pradeep dharmawardane below of ontario golden chefs who spoke next to an ice sculpture o models display fashions by alice ko