Number of N.L. patients waiting for heart surgery unchanged, but there's more to the story

The waitlist for heart surgery in Newfoundland and Labrador has remained largely unchanged for months, hovering around 190 patients but that single number doesn't tell the whole story.

"I would say itfluctuates daily, but 189 to 195 is where ournumbers are now," said Dr. Sean Connors,a cardiologist and N.L. Health Services'sclinical chief of cardiac care.

That means the waitlist is about the same as it was last Decemberbut Connorssays that doesn't mean cardiac care isn't improving.

Last year, this province sent 50 patients to Ottawa for heart surgery. ButConnors says because Newfoundland and Labrador now hasa full complement of five heart surgeons, it's no longer necessary to send heart patients away for care.

"We've been able to not send those people to Ottawa and maintain our waitlist. It hasn't skyrocketed, and as our population grows there is more demand," he said.

"Sowe have been able to hold the line. Those numbers aren't the highest they have ever been. They are better than what they have been, even though we haven't sent anyone out. If you looked at that without looking at other things you might think that weare falling behind."

With the team that is now in place, said Connors,the number of heart surgeriesdone weekly has increased.

"We've upped our number of operations per week by 40 per cent in the last few months, and we see that we are going to continue to up that going forward as the resources allow," he said.

WATCH | Dr. Sean Connors says fewer people have to leave N.L. for heart surgery:

N.L.s heart surgery wait-list is still 190 people. Heres why a top doctor says its not all bad

7 months ago

Duration 1:31

The number of people waiting for potentially life-changing heart surgery hasnt moved in months, hovering around 190 patients. But Dr. Sean Connors, a cardiologist and N.L. Health Services's clinical chief of cardiac care, says the number actually indicates good news for the province.

Since last fall, the number of open-heart surgeries performed in the province weekly has increased from nine to 14.

Connors has said in the past that a waitlistfor heart surgeryof 50 or 60 patients is the goal.

Partnership with Ottawa Heart Institute continues

In May 2022, the provincial government announced amemorandum of understandingwith theUniversity of Ottawa Heart Institutethat saw Newfoundland and Labrador patients going there and Ottawa's surgeons coming to N.L. to work periodically.

Cardiac surgeons from Ottawahave made dozens of visits to the province and performed cardiac surgery on hundreds ofNewfoundland and Labradorpatients.Thememorandum, which expired in May 2023, was renewed for two years.

One of the Ottawa surgeons who was coming to Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. David Glineur, has chosen to relocate to the province.

"We captured the imagination of a very talented surgeon and brought them here working with our teams to build our program," said Connors.

It's a solution when you have no other solution but ... to be self sufficient is the goal.- Sean Connors

Connors said the partnershipwith Ottawameans Newfoundland and Labrador patients could still go to Ontario for surgerybut it's nota popular option withpatients.

"When we send people away it's not ideal, and the reality is when you offer people that option, a lot of them don't want to go. So it's a solution when you have no other solution, but building our own teams at home and investing here at home in our own program, to be self-sufficient, is the goal," he said.

Connors expects cardiac care will continue to improve after the province opens the Cardiovascularand Stroke Institute that officials announced in February 2023.

There are still no details available about where that institute will be and when it will open. Health officials would only say it is in the planning stage.

Last December Connors said he was optimisticthat in five years, patients will be offeredcardiovascular and stroke treatment in a new building.

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