Heart Month Profile: Emergency Department

The Emergency Department (ED) at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is home to a complex team of health care professionals, who provide urgent patient care for our community and region, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

The ED team handles a wide range of medical emergencies, from a kitchen knife mishap that needs stitches, to a cardiac arrest needing life sustaining treatment.

The ED team works carefully to treat patients until they can return home, but occasionally, patients are admitted to the inpatient units in our Hospital for extended treatment. Patients in the ED who require specialized cardiovascular care are often admitted to the Cardiovascular and Stroke Unit (2C).

Our ED works closely with local and regional Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in identifying patients that need time-sensitive treatment for cardiovascular medical emergencies. When patients are experiencing a heart attack, the quicker they receive treatment, the better outcome the patient will often have.

As soon as the ED is notified by the EMS, they begin preparing before the patient arrives by notifying the cardiac catheterization lab and cardiologist of the patient’s condition. This pre-alert is essential in expediting care and ensuring the patient receives the best treatment as fast as possible.

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