Scarborough's Rouge Valley Health System has become the first hospital in Canada to implant a new, more advanced and smaller defibrillator into a cardiac patient.
John Devere had the device, used to regulate a patient's heart beats, implanted at the Centenary campus Friday Aug. 13."I feel excellent," the Whitby resident said in a statement."It's exciting to be on the cusp of new technology."The procedure was performed by vascular surgeon Dr. How Hoong Au and cardiologist Dr. Amir Janmohamed.They are pleased to have performed Canada's first implant of the more advanced defibrillator, which reduces the number of connections between the devise and the wires that deliver electrical therapies to the heart."It is an honour for both the hospital and the cardiac care team to bring this latest advancement to our patients," Au said.Janmohamed agreed."The new (defibrillator) is better for patients because it is smaller and features less complicated hardware. It is also more efficient as there is just one screw as opposed to four. This means there are fewer opportunities for error when the device is implanted."