MUHC in the Media - February 19, 2024

Two new units have been inaugurated at the Montreal General Hospital to reduce waiting times in surgery and the emergency department: the Day Medicine Service and the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) unit. Interviews with Dr. Lucie Opatrny, President and Executive Director of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), Alain Biron, MUHC Director of Nursing and Dr. Patrick Charlebois, Site Director, General Surgery, Montreal General Hospital.

At least 12,000 operations were cancelled in Quebec between September and the end of January, according to data compiled by Le Devoir and obtained from 26 healthcare establishments. In this difficult context, the Montreal General Hospital is setting itself apart with an initiative: the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) unit. Interview with Dr. Liane Feldman, Surgeon-in-chief of the McGill University Health Centre.

In January 2023, the MUHC Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology team operated on its first profoundly deaf patients. Susan Schwartz, of The Gazette, reports on how cochlear implants can help patients break free from isolation and regain quality of life with their loved ones and families.

Treatments to help babies who run out of oxygen during pregnancy or at birth are limited. A new clinical study conducted by Dr. Pia Wintermark, a neonatologist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and scientist with the Child Health and Human Development Program of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, shows that the administration of sildenafil, marketed under the brand name Viagra, could be a possible solution. La Presse canadienne, Montreal Gazette, CTV News, CityNews, QUB, Futurity, CanIndia

A public information meeting for Lachine residents was held on Tuesday, February 13, to provide an update on the modernization of the Lachine Hospital. Around15 citizens attended the event, while others were able to participate remotely. Project manager Claude Lemieux gave an interview to CBC News Montreal. Nouvelles d’ici, CBC News Montreal.

Dr. Jean-Pierre Routy was interviewed by Radio-Canada's "Ça nous regarde" radio program. He points out that the MUHC receives an average of ten new patients a week, which is a very worrying situation.

The Montreal Children's Hospital is the first healthcare facility in Quebec to implement a standardized bereavement follow-up program across all its divisions. Matthew Park, program coordinator and social worker, describes the program on CJAD.

Marie-Josée Longpré began teaching at CHU Sainte-Justine in 2009. There, she met oncology patient Maya Lelièvre. The two women have kept in touch ever since and are now... colleagues at the McGill University Health Centre! Marie-Josée now teaches young patients at the Montreal Children's Hospital, while Maya is pursuing a nursing internship in the Post-Partum Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital. La Presse tells their story.

In Manitoba, a man has been charged with the murder of five people, including his three children. How do you approach the issue with young people? Dr. Connie Scuccimarri, psychologist at the Montreal Children's Hospital, explains. Radio-Canada

In March, Dr. Sherif Emil, general surgeon at the Montreal Children's Hospital, will embark on the Global Mercy ship, a boat transformed into a hospital to meet the most urgent surgical needs of African children. CityNews

Simulation activities are crucial to the learning and continuous improvement of healthcare staff. And it's even better if there's no need for equipment or travel. This is precisely what PeTIT VR, a virtual reality platform for pediatric trauma surgery, makes possible. It was developed by Dr. Dan Poenaru, pediatric general surgeon at the Montreal Children's Hospital, Dr. Fabio Botelho, fellow in pediatric surgery, and Elena Guadagno, research director in the Division of Pediatric Surgery. Canadian Healthcare Technology

Dr. Faiz Ahmad Khan, respirologist and researcher at the RI-MUHC, has conducted a study with MUHC colleagues, physicians working in Nunavik and Inuit stakeholders that underscores the importance of taking action to ensure equity of access to health care and services and to lung cancer screening in Nunavik communities. . La Presse, Radio-Canada Première Toronto, RCI, Radio-Canada Ici Grand Nord

Montreal Children's Hospital’s Dr. Sam Shemie, pediatric intensive care physician, and Dr. Samara Zavalkoff, medical director of patient safety, spoke to The Canadian Press about the development of a national reporting system on organ donation and transplantation that would help optimize the allocation of organs across 11 provinces in Canada, and the impact of missed donation opportunities.  Toronto Star

Dr. François de Champlain, emergency physician at the McGill University Health Centre and founding president of the Jacques de Champlain Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving resuscitation care, research in this field and the accessibility of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), spoke to CBC radio show Let's Go and the Journal des voisins de Ahuntsic about making more AEDs available to the public.

The Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation has inaugurated the Pavillon Kat Demes, a home-away-from-home for parents living far from Montreal whose seriously ill or injured child is receiving care at the Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH). At the launch, Dr. Lucie Opatrny, President and Executive Director of the McGill University Health Centre, thanked the Social Services team at the Montreal Children's Hospital, who will process the requests. Diana D'Addio, Professional Coordinator of Social Services at the MCH, also spoke about the experience of parents who travel from outside the region for their child's treatment. Courrier Laval