Enhancements to cardiac and stroke care are being expanded across the province to support better patient outcomes. The enhancements and expansion are part of the Provincial Government’s transformation of cardiovascular and stroke care in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Health and Community Services, made the announcement today as part of the latest Health Care Action update. Minister Osborne was joined by Dr. Pat Parfrey, Deputy Minister of Health Transformation, Cassie Chisholm, Vice President – Transformation (Health Systems), NL Health Services, and Dr. Sean Connors, Clinical Chief of Cardiac Care, NL Health Services.

The successful enhancements include:

• The introduction of a surgical procedure, endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), where blood clots causing stroke are removed from clinically eligible patients. This enhancement has led to improved stroke outcomes and an approximate 50 per cent reduction in patients’ length of hospital stays.
• Increased use of clot-busting drugs called thrombolytics for strokes, which has increased from 10 per cent in 2018 to almost 20 per cent, the national standard, in 2023.
• The expanded use of virtual heart failure management, where patients interact with a cardiology team specializing in heart failure to become stabilized on their medications through virtual appointments within nine weeks, rather than the six-to-12-month timeframe of traditional in-person appointments.

The reduction in hospital stays has also increased access to other patients by making acute care beds available sooner than expected.

These enhancements are in addition to the same day fly-in/fly-out cardiac catheterization flights, which have led to 118 patients flying to St. John’s to receive care sooner than anticipated, and our partnership with March of Dimes on the After Stroke pilot program. After Stroke has already provided supports for over 153 stroke survivors, their family members, and caregivers in their transition from hospital to home.

Building on these successes, the Provincial Government and NL Health Services are taking further actions to increase access to cardiovascular and stroke treatments by:

• Expanding access to EVT across the province, starting with Central Zone in the coming months.
• Implementing satellite cardiology clinics, where a cardiologist will visit cardiac patients who do not have a cardiologist in their area.
• Continuing to promote public education about the use of thrombolytics.
• Ongoing planning for the new Cardiovascular and Stroke Institute facility.

More details on the Provincial Government’s recent health care actions are available by visiting healthcareaction.ca.

Quotes
“It is vital that stroke patients get the care they need sooner rather than later. Expanding access to EVT and thrombolytics has led to better outcomes and healthier lives for patients. We look forward to expanding this to reach more people this year.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Health and Community Services

“NL Health Services’ new provincial Cardiovascular and Stroke program integrates the delivery of cardiac, vascular and stroke services across the province. This innovative approach enables our teams to work together to provide excellent care to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We take pride in the services we deliver and we will continue our work to innovate and expand cardiovascular and stroke services for the people of our province.”
Cassie Chisholm
VP Transformation, NL Health Services

“Cardiovascular disease and stroke are significant illnesses in our province. When faced with these problems, our people need to know they can count on receiving excellent care. I work in this area every day, and I am proud to say our teams are top notch – among the very best anywhere. We can be extremely confident in the quality of our cardiovascular and stroke services and we will continue to bring forward our expertise, our energy, and our innovative ideas to ensure the people of our province have the best outcomes.”
Dr. Sean Connors
Cardiologist, Provincial Cardiovascular and Stroke Program, NL Health Services

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