Arnprior Regional Health and Queensway Carleton Hospital launch a collaborative Total Knee Surgery Program adding capacity to health system

May 04, 2022

Arnprior Regional Health (ARH) and Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH) have officially launched a collaborative Total Knee Surgery Program that will help build necessary surgical capacity in the system through the introduction of two outpatient knee surgery days each week at ARH. The surgeries are performed by QCH surgeons and supported by the ARH surgical team.

“I am very pleased that through this partnership we can build critical capacity in our regional health system, expand our ARH Surgical Program and bring even more high-quality healthcare services to our community.” said Leah Levesque, President and CEO, ARH. “We have a long-standing collaborative relationship with QCH that has evolved and been strengthened through our partnership in the Ottawa West Four Rivers Ontario Health Team – and this new program is another great success that has come from working together.”

Dr. Andrew Falconer, President and CEO, QCH shared: “Partnering with ARH not only builds critically-needed surgical capacity for our region, it allows our hospitals to focus on what matters most: caring for our patients. We are grateful that this partnership provides us the chance to further expand our ability to provide quality care to those that need it most.”

The collaborative surgical team is comprised of three QCH surgeons and ARH anaesthetists, nurses, and allied health professionals. The QCH team hosted the ARH nursing, physiotherapy, and medical reprocessing teams over three weeks for specialized training in preparation for two trial dates – the first held at QCH and the second at ARH. Based on its success, the program formally started at ARH on May 2, 2022, with a target of three knee surgeries done each day on Mondays and Fridays.

Gail Rumbelow was the first knee surgery patient at ARH and was pleased when Dr. Sanjeev Sharma, QCH Orthopaedic Surgeon, gave her the option to have her surgery approximately four months sooner.

“When I called to check in on my surgery, I was in so much pain and had difficulty walking long distances,” shared Gail, who is from Marathon Village about 20 minutes away from Arnprior. “When Dr. Sharma gave me the option to come to ARH for an earlier surgery date, it was a yes. The team was so coordinated and worked so well together. I am 100 per cent grateful they have created this collaborative program.”

“As healthcare workers, our priority is always the health of our patients and ensuring they have the support and care they need,” said Dr. Joel Weaver, Chief & Medical Director of Peri-Operative & Surgical Services at QCH. “Working alongside the ARH surgical team on this program gives us the opportunity to provide these patients their surgeries sooner than before, while freeing up QCH’s ORs to perform other surgeries, thus helping even more patients.”

QCH knee surgery patients are given the option to have their surgery done at ARH if they meet certain criteria for the day surgery. To be eligible:

• Patients must not have health issues or major mobility issues that could impact same-day discharge (ARH will not be admitting knee surgery patients to their inpatient unit)
• Patients can only have surgery on one knee (not doing double joints)
• Patients must be in good respiratory health (considerations will include chronic respiratory conditions or recent pneumonia or COVID-19 etc.)

ARH has expanded its surgical team to support the launch of the Total Knee Surgery Program by recruiting two new anaesthetists and RNs with experience in orthopaedic surgery.

“This new program has allowed ARH to diversify its Surgical Program through strategic collaboration, recruitment of the right expertise, and education and training opportunities for the team,” said Dr. Florin Padeanu, Chief of Staff, ARH. “It is an innovative regional model that will have a positive impact on wait times resulting in earlier patients’ recovery for a better quality of life.”

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About Arnprior Regional Health
Arnprior Regional Health (ARH) is a progressive 140-bed organization that includes a fully accredited community hospital, nursing home, primary health care centre and extensive community programs. ARH is a regional hub with a strong history of providing exemplary care to the residents of West Ottawa, McNab/Braeside, Arnprior and Mississippi Mills. As your partner in health, ARH is committed to listening to and responding to meet the needs of those we serve, because together, we create a healthy community.

About Queensway Carleton Hospital
Located in fast-growing west Ottawa, Queensway Carleton Hospital has built its reputation as a leading acute care hospital by seeing the person in each of the nearly 500,000 people who turn to it for care each year. QCH’s agility and collaborative culture enable it to respond quickly to the most pressing healthcare challenges facing its vibrant and growing communities through advanced programs that reinvent models of patient care. QCH has been named the #1 hospital in Ottawa by Newsweek magazine in 2021 and as a top employer in Canada by Forbes magazine.

Media Contacts:
Melissa McDermott
Arnprior Regional Health
mmcdermott@arnprirohealth.ca

Kelly Spence
Queensway Carleton Hospital
kspence@qch.on.ca