CHEO opens ‘IR Cath and SIm” lab

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is now home to world-class technology that will enhance safety and improve access to diagnostic procedures and treatment for young patients.

The ‘IR Cath and Sim’ Lab is where CHEO experts perform interventional radiology, catheterizations, and simulations. Not only will newly installed equipment mean better, faster experiences for some of CHEO’s sickest patients, it will give medical learners a risk-free training environment.

“CHEO’s existing IR Cath Lab has served us well for nearly 15 years, but it is aging and the equipment has become less reliable,” said Dr. Jane Lougheed, CHEO’s chief of cardiology. “As repairs become more frequent, we have to send some very seriously ill young patients elsewhere, and that is never something we want to do.”

The lab redevelopment was made possible by philanthropy – including a $2 million corporate donation from CP in 2017.  When the CP Women’s Open came to the capital city, so too did tremendous support for cardiology care at CHEO, thanks to the CP Has Heart program.

“The impact of this new simulation facility will be felt broadly by health-care providers and the patients they care for,” explained Dr. Anna-Theresa Lobos, CHEO’s simulation medical director. “This new facility allows health-care professionals from all disciplines to master skills through simulation-based learning. It will enhance and advance pediatric health care and patient safety.”

The newly installed equipment will allow CHEO to perform three times the number of procedures it can now, while also improving access and safety.

“We know that investing in kids’ health today is good for the individual patient and good for the entire health system over the long term,” says Alex Munter, CHEO’s president and chief executive officer (CEO). “This investment will help an entire generation of patients live their best lives and that is definitely something to celebrate.”

CHEO patients like Dahlia Belfer know all too well how life-enhancing this equipment can be.

“When someone has a chronic illness that needs consistent intervention, hospitals become simultaneously a second home and a terrifying space,” Belfer said. “The staff do their best to make it comfortable, but a new space like this one can potentially take away a huge amount of pain and fear associated with interventions that exist to keep you alive.”