Cardiac Transition

Because the permanent Interior Heart and Surgical Centre building won’t be completed until 2016, a multi-phase implementation process for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI, or commonly referred to as angioplasties) and open heart surgery was developed to facilitate an early start-up.

• The first phase included renovations to parts of the existing Kelowna General Hospital to accommodate the start of PCI service in November 2009.
• The second phase saw the creation of a second cardiac catheterization lab in January 2011 to increase the number of PCI cases that can be performed.
• The last phase of the transition plan involves renovations of current operating rooms to allow open heart surgeries to be done starting in December 2012. 

The phased approach to implementing cardiac care will enable cardiac procedures and surgeries to be performed as soon as possible, while we develop a comprehensive, permanent program. This approach will also allow for the progressive recruitment and training of critical health-care professionals required to staff the program.