Heart Month Profile: Cardiovascular and Stroke Unit (2C)

The Cardiovascular and Stroke Unit (2C) at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) provides inpatient and some outpatient care to the cardiovascular and stroke patients in our region. The unit is made up of 36 inpatient beds, 24 of which are cardiovascular and medical care beds, and 12 of which are regional stroke care beds. In 2020, 2C was the busiest medical unit at TBRHSC with 2,023 admissions.

The regional stroke unit beds on 2C are cared for by a team of stroke specialists, which includes specially trained Registered Nurses (RN), Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, and Neurologists. This team works together to provide excellent stroke care for patients at TBRHSC who are having a stroke, receiving treatment for a stroke, or are recovering from a stroke. This team also supports a network of hospitals in our region, optimizing care for our community.

2C’s cardiovascular and medicine beds are cared for by RNs who have undergone special training to care for cardiovascular patients. These patients include those who have had a cardiac event, require further tests and observation, or are waiting for or recovering from cardiovascular surgery, among other things. 2C works very closely with the Cardiac Catheterization Lab (or Cath Lab) which performs tests and interventions on many of their patients.

In addition to 2C’s 36 inpatient beds, there are an additional six beds in our angioplasty recovery unit. This unit is an outpatient care area where patients are cared for after having a stent inserted while in the Cath Lab. Patients from TBRHSC and our region will undergo extra monitoring after getting a stent until the following day when they will go home or fly back to their home hospital.

Thank you to the 2C team for helping us recognize Heart Month and for working tirelessly to provide care for our community and region.