An Operating Room Essential
We never want to have to cancel a surgery due to a broken piece of
equipment.
Since the government does not fund medical equipment
purchases for Ontario hospitals, we work with donors who care about WDMH - people who care about their families,
friends, neighbours and communities - to fund much-needed equipment.
What is the need?
One of the highest priority needs at WDMH right now is three
new pieces of equipment for our Operating Room called Electrosurgical Generators.
These are not the type of generator you might use when the power goes out –
these are used during the majority of our OR surgeries.
What do Electrosurgical Generators do?
These machines allow surgeons to control bleeding. This is
done by using heated surgical instruments that cauterize blood vessels. Cauterization
is the process of using heat to seal off blood vessels. The machines that allow
the instruments to be heated are called Electrosurgical Generators.
Because of our donors, we are very fortunate to have three
of these machines in our OR. But, they are about 10 years old and are
starting to age.
These machines are used five days a week. Last year, we
performed 4,764 surgeries at WDMH.
What makes the new Electrosurgical Generators special?
- The main concern with the Electrosurgical Generators is the
ports that the surgical instruments are plugged into. Ten years of instruments
being constantly plugged in and out can take its toll! As much as we take
excellent care of our medical equipment, eventually things just wear out. Our Electrosurgical Generators need to be replaced before
the ports simply give out. They are an absolute necessity at WDMH to provide
surgical care services for our patients.
- The new generators will each have an extra port. This is
meaningful because right now, when a surgeon needs to switch instruments, one
instrument needs to be unplugged and then the new one needs to be plugged in. Depending
on the surgery, that can mean a lot of coordination and can also waste valuable
time. The new machines will make the OR team more efficient.
- Another excellent feature that one of the three new machines
will have is the capability to offer Argon Plasma Coagulation. This is
especially important for patients who have had radiation treatment in the past
who often have a side effect called Radiation Proctitus. Radiation Proctitis is basically thinned skin and
it is not easy to operate on because it is so fragile. This can occur after
radiation treatment for cancers such as cervical cancer, prostate cancer and
colon cancer. Argon Plasma Coagulation is the process of spraying a gas over
the delicate tissue that then allows the bleeding to be controlled.
- The new
generators will come with special software specific for endoscopy procedures.
Having this software is part of the Accreditation process.
How much do the three new generators cost?
The cost of the three generators ten years ago was well over
$200,000. The cost has come down a lot. Today, we can get three new ones for
about $89,000!
What surgeries are performed at WDMH?
Here is a list of the main surgeries we perform:
o Endoscopy
o Colonoscopy
o Gynecology
o Obstetrical
(C-sections)
o Ear,
Nose & Throat (such as tonsillectomy, thyroidectomy and sinus surgery)
o Ophthalmology
(eyes)
o Plastic
Surgery (e.g. breast reconstruction following mastectomy)
o Urology
o General
Surgery
This is one of the instruments used for cauterization that gets
plugged into the Electrosurgical Generator to be heated up.
Imagine having your surgery
cancelled at the last minute because one of the needed pieces of equipment
suddenly breaks. You have been waiting for a month to have the surgery so you
can get back to doing the things you love. How frustrating would that be? We
never want that to happen.
To help
us ensure that doesn’t happen, please make a gift to our General Equipment Fund
today:
/onlinegiving/Donation
Thank you!